Typhlomys chapensis, Osgood, 1932

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Platacanthomyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 102-107 : 106-107

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Chapa Tree Mouse

Typhlomys chapensis

French: Loirpygmée de Chapa / German: Vietnam-Zwergbilch / Spanish: Ratén arboricola de Chapa

Other common names: Chapa Pygmy Dormouse, Vietnamese Pygmy Dormouse

Taxonomy. Typhlomys cinereus chapensis Osgood, 1932 ,

“Chapa [= Sa Pa ], Tonkin,” Lao Cai Province, Vietnam .

Typhlomys chapensis currently comprises two formersubspecies of 1. cinereus ( chapensis and jingdongensis). Monotypic.

Distribution. SW China (W of the Red River in SW Yunnan) and NWVietnam (Lao Cai Province).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 61-115 mm, tail 80-126 mm; weight 7.7-22-6 g. The Chapa Tree Mouse is larger than the Soft-furred Tree Mouse (7. cinereus ) and the Dwarf Tree Mouse (71. nanus); dorsal pelage is dark gray to black; venter is yellowish-white; ears are large and naked; eyes are very small; whiskers are long; long tail is lightly furred near base but densely furred at tip (resembling a bottle brush); and hair at tip of tail is white in some individuals. Braincase is dome-shaped.

Habitat. Tropical montane forests above 200 m in elevation.

Food and Feeding. The Chapa Tree Mouse is likely granivorous and frugivorous.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Like other small forest-dwelling rodents, the Chapa Tree Mouse is likely nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Recent behavioral studies of wildcaught animals in laboratory enclosures suggest that this species uses ultrasonic echolocation to navigate among tree branches. Little is known about its behavior in the wild. Like the Softfurred Tree Mouse, it has been trapped on low branches in trees and on the ground.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Because distribution appears to be small and it occupies threatened tropical forests,it will likely be classified as more threatened than the Soft-furred Tree Mouse after it is assessed by conservationists.

Bibliography. Abramov et al. (2014), Carleton & Musser (1984), Cheng Feng et al. (2017), Musser & Carleton (2005), Osgood (1932), Panyutina et al. (2017), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Wu Deling & Wang Guanghuan (1984).

Figures

Distribution. SW China (W of the Red River in SW Yunnan) and NWVietnam (Lao Cai Province).