The Taiwan field mouse, also called Formosan wood mouse (Apodemus semotus), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Taiwan.[1][2]
Taiwan field mouse | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Apodemus |
Species: | A. semotus |
Binomial name | |
Apodemus semotus Thomas, 1908 |
The Taiwan field mouse is primarily distributed in the montane region between 1,400 and 3,000 m.[3] They inhabit various habitat types, such as natural or planted forests, grasslands, farms, and campsites, and are omnivorous feeding on plants, insects and fungi.[4]
Based on morphological measurements, it has been suggested that the Taiwan field mouse is not different from the South China field mouse (Apodemus draco), and should not be considered as a separate species.[5]
The Taiwan field mouse is sexually dimorphic, with male generally larger than females (male: 25.6 ± 0.5 g; female: 23.8 ± 0.5 g[6]). Mark-capture-recapture data suggest that their life span may be less than 1 year in the wild.[7]