189.

Aurora Forest Mouse

Apomys aurorae

French: Apomys dAurora / German: Aurora-Philippinenwaldmaus / Spanish: Raton de bosque de Aurora

Other common names: Aurora Apomys

Taxonomy. Apomys aurorae Heaney et al., 2011,

“Philippines: Luzon Island: Aurora Province: Dingalan Munic.: 2 km S, 2 km W Mingan peak, 1305 m, 15-46456°N, 121-38421°L,”

Newly collected in 2006, A. auroraeis a member of subgenus Megapomys and may be most closely related to A. iridensis and A. zambalensis . It is narrowly sympatric at upper end of its elevational range with A. minganensis (of subgenus Megapomys), and more broadly sympatric with each of A. microdon and A. musculus (of subgenus Apomys). Monotypic.

Distribution. Currently known only from Mingan Mts of S Sierra Madre, E Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 126-152 mm, tail 129-153 mm, ear 18-21 mm, hindfoot 33-37 mm; weight 58-92 g. Males average slightly larger than females in all measurements and in weight (81-2 g vs. 73-8 g). Species of Apomys are soft-furred, small to mediums-sized murines with relatively unspecialized body form; they are distinguished from other Philippine murines by a distinctive suite of features, including long, narrow hindfeet, thinly furred tail, unreduced eyes, relatively large and thinly furred ears, vibrissae

on snout very elongate and, folded back, reach to shoulder or beyond, reduction to two mammae on each side, both inguinal, and a simplified molar pattern with cusps united into transverse laminae. Members of subgenus Megapomys are larger, shorter-tailed species that are active primarily on ground; in most forest habitats across Luzon, they are the most abundant terrestrial mammal in any local community. The Aurora Forest Mouse is one of the smaller species of Megapomys. Fur on upperparts, flanks, and outer surfaces of all limbs is rich rusty reddish brown with diffuse black flecking, body hairs medium gray basally, guard hairs black and narrowly projecting through fur; fur on underparts and inside of foreand hindlimbs pale gray basally with white tips, sometimes with pale ocherous wash; upper and lower parts with sharply defined boundary. Dark fur of limbs does not extend ontoupper surfaces of foreand hindfeet, which are unpigmented and covered with short white hairs, sometimeslightly peppered with black; hindfeet relatively elongate and narrow, undersurface with gray pigment for proximal half, often surrounding posterior pads, plantar pads small and well separated, first digit short but others relatively long and slender. Tail is relatively long (98-100% of head-body length), dark above and white below for entire length, but sometimes with scattered pigmented scales and dark hairs. Cranium has rounded braincase, moderately short and slender rostrum, and average-sized molars for genus.

Habitat. Evergreen tropical rainforest, including primary lowland and montane rainforest and extending into ecotone of montane and “mossy” forest types. It is recorded also in lightly disturbed habitats across its elevational range of 733-1677 m, but is most abundant between 902 m and 1476 m.

Food and Feeding. I.. R Heaney and coworkers reported in 2016 that Aurora Forest Mice are “omnivorous, consuming seeds, insects, and earthworms.” Breeding. Four pregnant females in 2016 had average of two embryos (range 1-3).

Activity patterns. Aurora Forest Mice are nocturnal and forage on surface of ground.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Current known range is very small, but it may occur more widely in the Mingan Mountains.

Bibliography. Balete et al. (2011), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Heaney, Balete, Rickart, Alviola et al. (2011), Justiniano etal. (2015).