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Crete Spiny Mouse

Acomys minous

French: Acomys de Créte / German: Kreta-Stachelmaus / Spanish: Raton espinoso de Creta

Other common names: Cretan Spiny Mouse

Taxonomy. Acomys dimidiatus minous Bate, 1906,

“Khania and Suda,” Crete, Greece.

Validity of A. minous has been questioned by many authors. Initially included in the A. cahirinus —dimidatus species complex, it was elevated to a separate species based on morphology. Recent molecular analyses found A. minous to be within the A. cahirinus clade, and it was synonymized with A. cahirinus by B. Krystufek and V. Vohralik in 2009. Affinities of A. minous as closer to A. cahirinus than to A. dimidiatus were also confirmed by the most recent phylogenies by D. Frynta and colleagues in 2010 and W. N. Verheyen and colleagues in 2011. Moreover, colonization of Crete might have resulted from different lineages, and E. B. Giagia-Athanasopoulou and colleagues in 2011 found chromosomal polymorphism and paraphyly of A. minous within the A. cahirinus species complex. Since a phylogeny based only on mitochondrial genes has been producedand because of geographical isolation and morphological differences, A. minous is considered valid here. Monotypic.

Distribution. Crete (Greece).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 90-128 mm, tail 89-120 mm, ear 16-20 mm, hindfoot 18-20 mm; weight 30-86 g. Dorsum of the Crete Spiny Mouse is gray, with some reddish yellow on flanks with fine spines; venteris dirty white. Tail is approximately equal to head-body length. There are six pairs of mammae. Three karyotypes have been found (in close localities): 2n = 38, 40, and 42, with FNa (autosomal fundamental number) = 66, FN = 68, and a Robertsonian fusion system.

Habitat. Mediterranean arid scrubland, rocky grounds with crevices, and sometimes close to cultivated land.

Food and Feeding. The Crete Spiny Mouse eats plants ( Medicago and Coronilla, both Fabaceae; and Juniperus, Cupressaceae), seeds, and arthropods (Orthoptera, Isopoda, and Diplopoda).

Breeding. Pregnant Crete Spiny Mice have 1-4 embryos. Young are born with hair, and eyes open at two days old.

Activity patterns. The Crete Spiny Mouse is crepuscular and nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Small communities of Crete Spiny Mice are dominated by an adult female.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Last.

Bibliography. Aulagnier et al. (2008), Dieterlen (1978), Denys et al. (1994), Frynta et al. (2010), Giagia-Athanasopoulou et al. (2011), Krystufek & Vohralik (2009), Matthey & Baccar (1967), Verheyen et al. (2011), Zimmermann (1953).