Pseudomys bolami
| Bolam's mouse | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Pseudomys |
| Species: | P. bolami |
| Binomial name | |
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Pseudomys bolami Troughton, 1932 |
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Bolam's mouse (Pseudomys bolami) is a species of nocturnal, burrowing rodent in the family Muridae that inhabits the semi arid and southern arid regions of Australia. It has a number of physiological and behavioural adaptations developed to cope with the extremely varied climatic conditions. Many of these adaptations allow it to survive in extremely arid conditions by conserving water. Examples of these adaptations include the ability survive by extracting water from seeds alone, the production of highly concentrated urine and low water content faeces as well as nocturnal activity.
Bolam's mouse is the size of a house mouse although slimmer in appearance with larger eyes, feet and ears with a longer tail. It is also quieter than a house mouse when handled and lacks a musty odour. Other distinguishing features include the absence of notched upper incisors which are characteristic of the house mouse. The weight of males and females is between 9 and 16 grams. The body length is 50–80 millimetres (2.0–3.1 in) with a tail length of 71–103 mm (2.8–4.1 in). The fur is a dull grey-brown that blends from white at the base to much darker at the tips. It is very similar in appearance to the sandy inland mouse, Pseudomys hermannsburgensis, but with a longer hindfoot (18.4–20.1 mm), 4–6 hairs per tail scale and longer ears (15.2–18.6 mm).
Bolam's mouse was first described by Troughton in 1932 as a subspecies of the sandy inland mouse, as Pseudomys hermannsburgensis bolami. It was reclassified as a separate species by Kitchener et al. in 1984 based on nucleic acid electrophoretic and morphometric characters.
It has a wide distribution that ranges from south west Western Australia through South Australia to south western New South Wales. The range of the species has declined in recent times with the species no longer found in the Sunset region of South Australia and Victoria. Fossil evidence shows that its range has also contracted in New South Wales where it formerly occupied much of the west of the state including Mutawintji National Park in the north west. The range of Bolam's mouse is generally south of that of the sandy inland mouse with very little overlap in distribution.
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Wikipedia