Apomys

{{Short description|Genus of rodents}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Apomys gracilirostris.jpg

| image_caption = Large Mindoro forest mouse (Apomys gracilirostris)

| display_parents = 2

| taxon = Apomys

| authority = Mearns, 1905

| type_species = Apomys hylocetes

| type_species_authority = Mearns, 1905

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =Apomys abrae

Apomys aurorae

Apomys banahao

Apomys brownorum

Apomys camiguinensis

Apomys datae

Apomys gracilirostris

Apomys hylocetes

Apomys insignis

Apomys iridensis

Apomys littoralis

Apomys lubangensis

Apomys magnus

Apomys microdon

Apomys minganensis

Apomys musculus

Apomys sacobianus

Apomys sierrae

Apomys zambalensis

}}

Apomys, commonly known as earthworm mice, is a genus of rodent endemic to the Philippines. Mice belonging to this genus are generally called Philippine forest mice and can be found on most islands of the Philippines except in Palawan, the Sulu Archipelago, and the Batanes and Babuyan group of islands.

Apomys mice weigh from 18g to 128g. The tail is longer or nearly equal the length of the head and body. The soft and thick fur of these mice is darker on the back while the front fur is paler, often nearly white with a moderate orange yellow wash. The hind feet are moderately long and narrow, have six plantar pads, and have digits 2–4 notably longer than digit 5 and the hallux. All species have two pairs of inguinal mammae.{{cite journal|last=Heaney|first=L|author2=Balete D |author3=Rickart E |author4=Alviola P |author5=Duya M |author6=Duya M |author7=Veluz M |author8=VandeVrede L |author9=Steppan S |title=Seven New Species and a New Subgenus of Forest Mice (Rodentia: Muridae: Apomys) from Luzon Island|journal=Fieldiana Life and Earth Sciences|year=2011|doi=10.3158/2158-5520-2.1.1|s2cid=86544405}}

Species

Nineteen species are known in two subgenera:{{MSW3 Muroidea | id = 13001224 | pages = }}{{cite journal |author1=Heaney, L.R. |author2=Tabaranza B.R. Jr. |year=2006 |title=A new species of forest mouse, genus Apomys (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae), from Camiguin Island, Philippines |pages=14–27 |journal=Fieldiana Zoology |volume=106 |doi=10.3158/0015-0754(2006)106[14:ansofm]2.0.co;2|s2cid=85757707 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/23783 }}{{cite journal |author1=Heaney, L.R. |author2=Balete, D.S. |author3=Veluz, M.J. |author4=Steppan, S.J. |author5=Esseltyn, J.A. |author6=Pfeiffer, A.W. |author7=Rickart, E.A. |year=2014 |title=Two new species of Philippine forest mice (Apomys, Muridae, Rodentia) from Lubang and Luzon Islands, with a redescription of Apomys sacobianus Johnson, 1962 |journal=Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington |volume=126 |issue=4 |pages=395–413 |doi=10.2988/0006-324X-126.4.395|s2cid=49347286 }}

Several species also awaits formal description.

The species generally inhabit narrow ecological niches with small endemic ranges.

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Murinae (Aethomys–Chrotomys)}}

{{Myomorpha|E.|state=collapsed}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q134872}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Rodents of the Philippines

Category:Rodent genera

Category:Taxa named by Edgar Alexander Mearns