512.

Western Broad-toothed Field Mouse

Apodemus epimelas

French: Mulot du Parnasse / German: Européische Felsenmaus / Spanish: Ratén de campo de dientes anchos occidental

Taxonomy. Mus epimelas Nehring, 1902,

Agoriana, Parnassos, Greece.

Apodemus epimelas was initially treated as belonging to A. mystacinus . It was then placed in the Sylvaemus group by G. G. Musser and colleagues in 1996. Morphological studies by G. Storch in 1977 and molecular analyses summarized by Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005 indicate that it merits species status, a treatment corroborated in 2015 by genetic data obtained by J. Darvish and colleagues, who showed that it is the sister species of A. mystacinus in a Karstomys clade. Monotypic.

Distribution. Croatia (including Adriatic islands of Korc¢ula and Mljet), S Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, S Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, SW Bulgaria, and Greece (including Ionian islands of Corfu, Cephalonia, Zakhyntos, and Kythera, and Aegean islands of Thasos, Alonissos, Peristera, Euboea, and Satamis).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 100-150 mm, tail 102-146 mm, ear 17-22 mm, hindfoot 24-28 mm; weight 28-56 g. The Western Broad-toothed Field Mouse is a large species with gray dorsal fur, gray-white ventral fur, long whiskers, and large ears. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 48, FNa = 50.

Habitat. Found around rocks, preferring dry habitats with scrubby vegetation from sea level to 1620 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet includes green parts of plants, seeds,fruits, and insects.

Breeding. Reproduction takes place from May to September. Gestation period is ¢.25 days and litter size is 2-8.

Activity patterns. The Western Broad-toothed Field Mouse is terrestrial, and nocturnal and crepuscular. It takes shelter in rocky crevices or digs nests under boulders.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Aulagnier et al. (2009), Masseti (2012), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser et al. (1996), Darvish et al. (2015), Krystufek & Vohralik (2009), Storch (1977).