Taiwan field mouse

{{short description|Species of rodent in the family Muridae found only in Taiwan}}

{{speciesbox

| name = Taiwan field mouse

| image = Apodemus_semotus_Wulin_Shei-Pa_Nationa_Park_2014.jpg

| image_caption =

| status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Smith, A.T. |date=2016 |title=Apodemus semotus |volume=2016 |page=e.T1902A22424228 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T1902A22424228.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}

| genus = Apodemus

| species = semotus

| authority = Thomas, 1908

| synonyms =

}}

The Taiwan field mouse, also called Formosan wood mouse (Apodemus semotus), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.

It is found only in Taiwan.{{MSW3 Muroidea | id = 13001219 | page = }}

The Taiwan field mouse is primarily distributed in the montane region between 1,400 and 3,000 m.{{Cite journal | last1 = Yu | first1 = H. T. | title = Distribution and abundance of small mammals along a subtropical elevational gradient in central Taiwan | doi = 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1994.tb04866.x | journal = Journal of Zoology | volume = 234 | issue = 4 | pages = 577–600 | year = 1994 }} They inhabit various habitat types, such as natural or planted forests, grasslands, farms, and campsites, and are omnivorous feeding on plants, insects and fungi.{{Cite journal | last1 = Lin, L. K. | last2 = Shiraishi, S. |year=1992 |title=Demography of the Formosan wood mouse Apodemus semotus |journal= Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University |volume=36 | issue = 3/4 |pages=245–266| doi = 10.5109/23988 |doi-access= free }}

Based on morphological measurements, it has been suggested that the Taiwan field mouse is not different from the South China field mouse (Apodemus draco), and should not be considered as a separate species.{{Cite journal | last1 = Kaneko | first1 = Y. | doi = 10.3106/041.036.0102 | title = Taxonomic status of Apodemus semotus in Taiwan by morphometrical comparison with A. draco, A. peninsulae and A. latronum in China, Korea and Myanmar | journal = Mammal Study | volume = 36 | pages = 11–22| year = 2011 | s2cid = 86147955 }}

The Taiwan field mouse is sexually dimorphic, with male generally larger than females (male: 25.6 ± 0.5 g; female: 23.8 ± 0.5 g{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1186/s40555-014-0079-2| title = The effects of mite parasitism on the reproduction and survival of the Taiwan field mice (Apodemus semotus)| journal = Zoological Studies| volume = 53 |page=79 | year = 2014| last1 = Lin | first1 = J. W. | last2 = Lo | first2 = H. Y. | last3 = Wang | first3 = H. C. | last4 = Shaner | first4 = P. J. L. | doi-access = free }}). Mark-capture-recapture data suggest that their life span may be less than 1 year in the wild.{{Cite journal | last1 = Shaner, P. L.| last2 = Wu, S. H.| last3 = Ke, L.| last4 = Kao, S. J. | year = 2013| title = Trophic divergence reduces survival in an omnivorous rodent | journal = Evolutionary Ecology Research| volume = 15| pages = 1–14}}