355.

Sandy Inland Mouse

Pseudomys hermannsburgensis

French: Pseudomys de Hermannsburg / German: Sand-Australienmaus / Spanish: Raton de interior de arena

Other common names: Sandy Inland Pseudomys

Taxonomy. Mus hermannsburgensis Waite, 1896,

George Gill Range, Northern Territory, Australia.

After being attributed to Pseudomys, P. hermannsburgensis was then, for a time, placed in Leggadina; a subsequent return to Pseudomys dates from W. D. L. Ride in 1970, and this treatment has been followed since then. Molecular study by F. Ford in 2006 found this species to be a member of a clade that included P bolami, P deli

catulus, P. novaehollandiae, and “ P. pilligaensis ” (now synonymized with P. delicatulus). A phylogeny by P. Smissen and K. C.Rowe in H. J. McLennan and colleagues’ 2017 study corroborated this phylogenetic placement and showed that sister taxon of P. hermannsburgensis is P. novaehollandiae . Monotypic.

Distribution. W, C & CE Australia, including some offshore islands (Dirk Hartog, Rosemary, Dixon, and Hope).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 65-85 mm, tail 70-90 mm, ear 12-15 mm, hindfoot 16-20 mm; weight 8-15 g. The Sandy Inland Mouse is a small Pseudomys that displays a sandy-brown to gray-brown dorsal pelage and white underparts. The naked tail is bicolored and slightly longer than head-body length.

Habitat. Arid grasslands, stabilized sand dunes, and sand fields.

Food and Feeding. The Sandy Inland Mouse is omnivorous, and feeds on seeds, grass, roots, and small tubers. It has also been found to consume fungi and invertebrates, such as lepidopteran larvae.

Breeding. Litter size 1-6 (mean 4), breeding being maximized after good rainfall. Newborn young are naked and weigh 2 g; at 15 days they are furred, at 20 days they have open eyes, and at ¢.30 days of age they are weaned.

Activity patterns. Sandy Inland Mice are terrestrial and nocturnal. They spend the daytime in shallow burrows, which are simple in construction.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Four to five individuals may be found in a single burrow, but up to 21 have been recorded. Females in breeding condition may be aggressive toward other individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. No threats are recorded for this species, which occurs in some protected areas.

Bibliography. Breed, B. & Ford (2007), Breed, W.G. (2008), Jackson & Groves (2015), McLennan et al. (2017), Murray et al. (1999), Ride (1970).