Notomys cervinus (Gould, 1853)

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 536-884 : 725

341.

Fawn Hopping Mouse

Notomys cervinus

French: Notomys fauve / German: Rehbraune Australienhipfmaus / Spanish: Raton saltador beige

Taxonomy. Hapalotis cervinus Gould, 1853 ,

interior of South Australia, Australia. Notomys cervinus has in the past been placed variously in Conilurus , in Thylaco-mys, and in Ascopharynx . Following its recognition as a species within Notomys by C. W. Brazenor in 1934, it has been treated in this genus by subsequent authors. Described form Podanomalus aistoni (from Mulka, east of Lake Eyre, South Australia) is a synonym of N. cervinus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Now restricted to the Channel Country of SW Queensland and the Lake Eyre Basin in NE South Australia. Descriptive notes. Head-body 95-120 mm, tail 105-160 mm, ear 23-29 mm, hindfoot 32-37 mm; weight 30-50 g. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has body form typical of hopping mice, with very long hindfeet, long tail with distal brush of longer hairs, very long ears, and large protruberant eyes. Dorsal fur is of variable color, from pale pinkish fawn to gray; ventral fur white. Unlike most other hopping mice, it has no throat pouch, but males have a glandular area of naked skin on the chest. Habitat. Occurs in low shrublands and tussock grasslands on stony (“gibber”) plains and claypans. Shows marked habitat segregation from the Dusky Hopping Mouse ( N. fuscus ), which is closely associated with sandy substrates. Food and Feeding. The Fawn Hopping Mouse is mostly granivorous, but also eats other plant material (stems, leaves) and occasionally invertebrates. It uses succulent, salt-adapted plants around edges of claypans as a source of water. Breeding. Reproduction is probably largely opportunistic and aseasonal, with high reproductive output from near-continuous breeding after periods of high rainfall; reported littersize is 1-5, most commonly three; gestation period 38-43 days for nonlactating females. Females may mature later than other hopping mice, with reproductive maturity reached at about six months. Activity patterns. Terrestrial and nocturnal. Fawn Hopping Mice shelter during day in burrow systems that are typically simpler and shallower than those of other hopping mice. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Fawn Hopping Mice generally live singly or in small groups; typically uncommon within range, but population density may increase by an order of magnitude following periods of high rainfall. Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has shown marked decline in range (estimated at greater than 50%), and presumably population size, since European settlement of Australia. This is mostlikely due to predation by the introduced house cat and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), and to habitat degradation associated with pastoralism. Bibliography. Brazenor (1934), Burbidge et al. (2008), Finlayson (1939), Gould (1853), Jackson & Groves (2015), Murray et al. (1999), Ogilby (1892), Thomas (1921h), Van Dyck & Strahan (2008), Waite (1898), Watts & Aslin (1981), Woinarski et al. (2014), Wood Jones (1925).

Figures

315. Black-tailed Giant Rat (Uromys anak), 316. Biak Island Giant Rat (Uromys boeadii), 317. Emma’s Giant Rat (Uromys emmae), 318. New Britain Island Giant Rat (Uromys neobritannicus), 319. Great Key Island Giant Rat (Uromys siebersi), 320. Vangunu Giant Rat (Uromys vika), 321. Emperor Giant Rat (Uromys imperator), 322. Guadalcanal Giant Rat (Uromys porculus), 323. King Giant Rat (Uromys rex), 324. White-tailed Giant Rat (Uromys caudimaculatus), 325. Masked White-tailed Giant Rat (Uromys hadrourus), 326. Rock-dwelling Giant Rat (Xenuromys barbatus), 327. Poncelet’s Giant Rat (Solomys ponceleti), 328. Ugi Island Giant Rat (Solomys salamonais), 329. Bougainville Island Giant Rat (Solomys salebrosus), 330. Isabel Island Giant Rat (Solomys sapientis), 331. Brush-tailed Rabbit Rat (Conilurus penicillatus), 332. False Water Rat (Xeromys myoudes), 333. Central Short-tailed Mouse (Leggadina forresti), 334. Northern Short-tailed Mouse (Leggadina lakedownensis), 335. Greater Stick-nest Rat (Leporillus conditor), 336. Australian Broad-toothed Rat (Mastacomys fuscus), 337. Black-footed Tree Rat (Mesembriomys gould), 338. Golden-backed Tree Rat (Mesembriomys macrurus), 339. Spinifex Hopping Mouse (Notomys alexis), 340. Northern Hopping Mouse (Notomys aquilo), 341. Fawn Hopping Mouse (Notomys cervinus), 342. Dusky Hopping Mouse (Notomys fuscus), 343. Mitchell's Hopping Mouse (Notomys mitchellii)

Distribution. Now restricted to the Channel Country of SW Queensland and the Lake Eyre Basin in NE South Australia. Descriptive notes. Head-body 95-120 mm, tail 105-160 mm, ear 23-29 mm, hindfoot 32-37 mm; weight 30-50 g. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has body form typical of hopping mice, with very long hindfeet, long tail with distal brush of longer hairs, very long ears, and large protruberant eyes. Dorsal fur is of variable color, from pale pinkish fawn to gray; ventral fur white. Unlike most other hopping mice, it has no throat pouch, but males have a glandular area of naked skin on the chest. Habitat. Occurs in low shrublands and tussock grasslands on stony (“gibber”) plains and claypans. Shows marked habitat segregation from the Dusky Hopping Mouse ( N. fuscus ), which is closely associated with sandy substrates. Food and Feeding. The Fawn Hopping Mouse is mostly granivorous, but also eats other plant material (stems, leaves) and occasionally invertebrates. It uses succulent, salt-adapted plants around edges of claypans as a source of water. Breeding. Reproduction is probably largely opportunistic and aseasonal, with high reproductive output from near-continuous breeding after periods of high rainfall; reported littersize is 1-5, most commonly three; gestation period 38-43 days for nonlactating females. Females may mature later than other hopping mice, with reproductive maturity reached at about six months. Activity patterns. Terrestrial and nocturnal. Fawn Hopping Mice shelter during day in burrow systems that are typically simpler and shallower than those of other hopping mice. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Fawn Hopping Mice generally live singly or in small groups; typically uncommon within range, but population density may increase by an order of magnitude following periods of high rainfall. Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Fawn Hopping Mouse has shown marked decline in range (estimated at greater than 50%), and presumably population size, since European settlement of Australia. This is mostlikely due to predation by the introduced house cat and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), and to habitat degradation associated with pastoralism. Bibliography. Brazenor (1934), Burbidge et al. (2008), Finlayson (1939), Gould (1853), Jackson & Groves (2015), Murray et al. (1999), Ogilby (1892), Thomas (1921h), Van Dyck & Strahan (2008), Waite (1898), Watts & Aslin (1981), Woinarski et al. (2014), Wood Jones (1925).