354.

Eastern Chestnut Mouse

Pseudomys gracilicaudatus

French: Pseudomys a queue fine / German: Ostkisten-Australienmaus / Spanish: Ratén de castano oriental

Other common names: Eastern Chestnut Pseudomys

Taxonomy. Mus gracilicaudatus Gould, 1845,

“Oakley Creek, Darling Downs [Queensland], east coast of Australia.”

Pseudomys gracilicaudatus was placed in subgenus Thetomys by G. H. H.Tate in 1951, and then recognized as a member of genus Pseudomys, in a clade with Mastacomys fuscus and P. nanus according to F. Ford in 2006 and B. Breed and Ford in 2007. Further work is required to verify this. Monotypic.

Distribution. E coast of Australia from NE Queensland S to EC New South Wales, with an outlying population in Jervis Bay, SE New South Wales.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 90-145 mm, tail 70-120 mm, ear 15 mm, hindfoot 24— 29mm; weight 45-118 g. Femalesare slightly smaller than males. The Eastern Chestnut Mouse is characterized by a grizzled chestnut pelage dorsally and gray underparts. Tail is equal to or slightly shorter than head-body length. Feet have grayish-white hairs extending beyond claws.

Habitat. Wet heath and swampy areas with dense undercover, open woodlands, and dry orwet sclerophyll forests.

Food and Feeding. The Eastern Chestnut Mouse is a generalist herbivore.

Breeding. Breeding occurs in September—March. Gestation lasts 27 days and litter size is 1-5 (average 3). Young are born with hairs, eyes opening on day eleven, and are weaned after fourth week; adult size is reached after six months. Some females may breed in the wild over two years.

Activity patterns. Eastern Chestnut Mice are terrestrial, and crepuscular and nocturnal. They maintain runways and tunnels in dense sedge cover presentin the wet heathlands.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home ranges are small (less than 0-5 ha).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Predation by cats and dogs and habitat modifications by fire may be threats, but this murid has a wide distribution and is present in protected areas. Eastern Chestnut Mice may occasionally become locally abundant.

Bibliography. Breed & Ford (2007), Ford (2006), Fox (2008), Luo Jia & Fox (1994), Murray et al. (1999), Tate (1951), Strahan (1983), Watts (1977), Watts & Aslin (1981).