514.

Caucasus Field Mouse

Apodemus ponticus

French: Mulot de la Mer noire / German: Kaukasus-Waldmaus / Spanish: Raton de campo del Calcaso

Other common names: Black Sea Field Mouse

Taxonomy. Mus flavicollis ponticus Sviridenko, 1936,

Olgino village (Black Sea), N. Caucasus, Russia.

According to the 1996 work of G. G.Musser and colleagues, A. ponticus belongs to the Sylvaemus group. It had been thought to be anA. flavicollis x A. sylvaticus hybrid or was subsumed into A. flavicollis, but genetic (chromosomes and allozymes) and morphometric analyses by V. N. Orlov and coworkers in 1996 validated its species status. Its 2013 discovery in north-west Iran (western slope of Zagros Mountains) was reported by Z. Mohammadi and colleagues in 2014, and it is possibly present in Iraq. B. Krystufek and V. Vohralik in 2009 thought that it could be synonym of A. flavicollis, while J. Darvish and colleagues in 2015 included Iranian A. ponticus into one of the A. flavicollis subclades. Pending further morphological and molecular analyses, however, we retain the classic 2005 nomenclature of Musser and M. D. Carleton. Monotypic.

Distribution. Caucasus (S European Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) and NW Iran (Zagros Mts).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 83-103 mm,tail 97-104 mm, ear 14-21 mm, hindfoot 21-24 mm. Nospecific data are available for body weight. The Caucasus Field Mouse looks very similar to Yellow-necked Field Mouse ( A. flavicollis). In Iran, it was distinguished by its extensive and well-marked throat spot.

Habitat. Mixed forests, forest-steppe, grassy fields, and bushy growth.

Food and Feeding. Diet is composed of seeds, grains, nuts, and insects in variable proportions. The Caucasus Field Mouse is known to store food.

Breeding. Reproduction occurs during spring and summer, and litter size averages 5-0.

Activity patterns. Terrestrial and nocturnal. Caucasus Field Mice may dig burrows or use natural cavities in ground.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Darvish et al. (2015), Krystufek & Vohralik (2009), Mohammadi et al. (2014), Musser & Carleton (2005), Musser et al. (1996), Orlov et al. (1996).