Mexican water mouse

The Mexican water mouse, Mexican fishing mouse[2] or Goodwin's water mouse (Rheomys mexicanus), is a species of semiaquatic rodent in the family Cricetidae.[3] It has a restricted range in the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, Threatened by deforestation and water pollution, it is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Mexican water mouse
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Rheomys
Species:
R. mexicanus
Binomial name
Rheomys mexicanus
Goodwin, 1959

Taxonomy

The Mexican water mouse was first described as Rheomys mexicanus in 1959 by the American zoologist George Gilbert Goodwin. He was the assistant curator of mammals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and went on a number of collecting expeditions, including one to Iran in 1938.[4]

Distribution

The species is endemic to Mexico and has a very restricted range in the state of Oaxaca on the Pacific slope of the mountains, being known from sites in the vicinity of San Pablo Guelatao, San José Lachiguirí, Unión Hidalgo and Tehuantepec.[1]

Ecology

This rodent is found in and near the headwater streams of rivers in tropical forested areas.[1] Its natural history is poorly known, but it seems to rely on finding its food in the small streams among closed canopy forests in which it lives. Other members of Rheomys are also semiaquatic, with carnivorous diets and similar riparian habitats.

Status

R. mexicanus has a total area of occupancy of less than 5,000 km2 (2,000 sq mi), and within this distribution, it seems to have a fragmented range, being known from only four locations. It has a habitat requirement for pure, unpolluted water, and the quality and quantity of suitable habitat is declining. This habitat is under threat from deforestation and from water pollution, including from such human activities as household clothes-washing.[1] As a result of these threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the conservation status of this mouse as "endangered".[1]

References
  1. Timm, R.; Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. & Lacher, T. (2008). "Rheomys mexicanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T19484A8905181. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T19484A8905181.en.
  2. Mares, Michael A.; Schmidly, David J. (1991). Latin American Mammalogy: History, Biodiversity, and Conservation. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-8061-2343-1.
  3. Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1166. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. JHU Press. p. 558. ISBN 978-0-8018-9533-3.
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