191.

Brown's Forest Mouse

Apomys brownorum

French: Apomys des Brown / German: Brown-Philippinenwaldmaus / Spanish: Raton de bosque de Brown

Other common names: Brown's Apomys, Tapulao Apomys, Tapulao Forest Mouse

Taxonomy. Apomys brownorum Heaney et al, 2011,

“Philippines: Luzon Island: Zambales Province: Palauig Munic.: Brangay Salasa: Mt. Tapulao peak, 2024 m; 15°28’54-8”S, 120°07°10-4’E.”

Apomys brownorum, newly collected in 2005, is a member of subgenus Megapomys and most closely related to A. banahao . It is not known to be sympatric with any other Megapomys species, but occurs with Apomys microdon and A. musculus of subgenus Apomys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Recorded only from type locality, at 2024 m on Mt Tapulao, Zambales Mts, W Luzon, Philippines; it was not trapped at lower elevation (1690 m) on Mt Tapulao, where A. zambalensis was encountered instead, but it may occur on other, hitherto unsurveyed high peaks in the Zambales Mts.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 123-140 mm, tail 107-116 mm, ear 21-22 mm, hindfoot 31-36 mm; weight 60-84 g. Apomys species are soft-furred, small to medium-sized murines with relatively unspecialized body form; 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. Brown's Forest Mouseis one of the smaller species of Megapomys.Fur on upperparts, flanks, and outer surfaces of all limbs is dense and very soft, rich dark brown, sometimes with rusty-orange tints between eye and ear and below ear, body hairs dark gray basally, guard hairs black and narrowly projecting through fur; fur on underparts and inside of limbs dark gray at bases with ocherous-gray tips; coloration of upperside merges gradually with lower parts or is separated by band of rusty-orange fur; ears darkly pigmented. Dark fur of limbs extends onto upper surfaces of feet, but digits are unpigmented and covered with short white hairs; hindfeet relatively elongate but somewhat broader than those of other members of Megapomys, undersurface mostly pale but some with pale gray blotches proximally, most plantar pads small and well separated but hallucal pad long and quite broad, digits relatively long but stocky. Tail is relatively short (70-88% of head-body length), sharply bicolored, dark above and white below for entire length. Cranium with moderately long rostrum, relatively robust incisors, and relatively small molars for genus.

Habitat. Known only from high-elevation evergreen tropical rainforest, called “mossy forest” in Philippine ecological literature. Brown’s Forest Mouseis recorded from primary forest and also from regenerating habitat after mining operation;it is the most abundant terrestrial mammal at these sites.

Food and Feeding. I.. R. Heaney and coworkers reported in 2016 that these mice “showed a slight preference for fried coconut bait rather than live earthworms” and “are probably omnivorous.”

Breeding. Heaney and colleagues reported that “two pregnant females each carried a single embryo.”

Activity patterns. Heaney and coworkers reported that “Nearly all were captured at night, and nearly all were on the ground surface (not in trees).”

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The long-term prospects of this species may rest on whetherit occurs more widely at high elevation in the Zambales Mountains.

Bibliography. Balete et al. (2009), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Heaney, Balete, Rickart, Alviola et al. (2011), Justiniano et al. (2015).