Chiruromys
Chiruromys is a genus of Old World mouse that is restricted to New Guinea and the nearby islands of Goodenough, Fergusson, and Normanby.
| Chiruromys | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: | Chiruromys Thomas, 1888 |
| Species | |
Characteristics
These are small arboreal rats with long tails. Head and body is 8.4-17.5 cm, tail is 12.8-24.5 cm, and weight is 23-122 grams (Nowak, 1999). The fur is grey to brown above with a white belly. They are restricted to forests where they spend all of their time in the canopy. They live in groups usually consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring (usually one to three) (Nowak, 1999).
Classification
Musser and Carleton (2005) considered Chiruromys to be a member of the Pogonomys Division within the Murinae along with the genera Pogonomys, Hyomys, Macruromys, Mallomys, Coccymys, and Anisomys. It is considered a New Guinea Old Endemic, part of the initial wave of murines colonizing the island.
Species
Genus Chiruromys
- Greater tree mouse, Chiruromys forbesi
- Lamia, Chiruromys lamia
- Lesser tree mouse, Chiruromys vates
References
- Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
- Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9