Geographic Range
Common Neacomys, or common bristly mice (
Neacomys spinosus
) are found in the Amazon Basin of South America, throughout southern Columbia, eastern
Peru, western Brazil, and northern Bolivia.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Common neacomys are found in lowland evergreen rainforests and mid-montane forests,
at elevations ranging from 300 to 2,000 m.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- rainforest
- mountains
Physical Description
Common neacomys are large rats. Their body and head lengths can range from 75 to 105
mm, with grooved spine hairs, large hind feet, reddish to dark brown dorsal fur, pale
ventral fur, and tails that are equal to or longer than the rest of their bodies.
Three subspecies of
Neacomys spinosus
have been recognized, including
N. s. amoenus
,
N. s. carceloni
, and
N. spinosus spinosus
itself. Average masses of common neacomys are not known, but other members of the
family
Cricetidae
range from 8 g to 2 kg.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
Nothing is noted of the mating system of common neacomys, however other members of the family Crecetidae can be monogomous, polygynous, or polyandrous.
Pregnant common neacomys females have been caught in both wet (February) and dry (September)
seasons, suggesting they possibly have a year-long breeding season. Generational lengths
for common neacomys are approximately 1 to 2 years. Typical litter sizes range from
2 to 4 pups. No other information about mating or reproduction in common neacomys
is available.
- Key Reproductive Features
- year-round breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
Parental investment has not been documented for common neacomys, but other female cricetids (family Cricetidae ) raise offspring in nests and feed them milk until they are independent.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
-
pre-independence
-
provisioning
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Nothing is noted of the lifespan of common neacomys, but other cricetids typically live a year or less due to predation.
Behavior
Common neacomys are nocturnal. More research is needed to determine to what degree
they are social. It is not known if they remain in the same area or if they migrate
to other spaces around the Amazon Basin.
Home Range
An average home range for common neacomys is not known, and typical home range size varies between other species of cricetids.
Communication and Perception
No information on the communication methods of common neacomys are known, but other cricetids use chemical signaling, and are known to use tactile, visual, and auditory cues.
Food Habits
Common neacomys are omnivores, feeding on seeds, insects and fruits. Specific seeds,
insects and fruits selected by common neacomys have not been documented.
Predation
No predators of common neacomys are specifically listed, but other members of the order Rodentia are preyed on by snakes, birds of prey, and mammalian carnivores. To evade predators, common neacomys are nocturnal, making it harder to be detected.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
One documented case of common neacomys carrying hantavirus was noted in 2008, but
no occurrences have been noted since then. Due to their diet of insects and seeds,
common neacomys are likely seed dispersers, similar to other rodents. They also provide
pest control by consuming insects.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Aside from their contribution to insect control, no economic importance for common neacomys has been recorded.
- Positive Impacts
- controls pest population
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Common neacomys are a possible reservoir for hantavirus, and thus may pose a threat
to human wellness in South America.
- Negative Impacts
-
injures humans
- carries human disease
Conservation Status
Common neacomys are considered to have stable populations in South America. Their
populations experience large fluctuations throughout the year, but are considered
common. According to the IUCN Red List, common neacomys are of least concern.
Other Comments
Common neacomys are relatively unresearched, and more research is needed to understand them completely.
Additional Links
Contributors
Gavin Skaar (author), University of Washington, Laura Prugh (editor), University of Washington.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- rainforest
-
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- mountains
-
This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.
- year-round breeding
-
breeding takes place throughout the year
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- granivore
-
an animal that mainly eats seeds
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Bi, Z., P. Formenty, C. Roth. 2008. Hantavirus Infection: a review and global update. Journal of Infection in Developing Countries , 2: 3-23. Accessed June 02, 2019 at https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/19736383/177 .
Hice, C., P. Velazco. 2013. Relative Effectiveness of Several Bait and Trap Types for Assessing Terrestrial Small Mammal Communities in Neotropical Rainforest. Museum of Texas Tech University, Occasional Papers , 316: 1-16. Accessed June 02, 2019 at http://www.paulvelazco.com/uploads/8/3/7/7/8377762/2013-hicevelazco.pdf .
Hurtado, N., V. Pacheco. 2017. Revision of Neacomys spinosus (Thomas, 1882) (Rodentia: Cricetidae) with emphasis on Peruvian populations and the description of new species. Zootaxa , 4242: 401-440. Accessed June 02, 2019 at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314772088_Revision_of_Neacomys_spinosus_Thomas_1882_Rodentia_Cricetidae_with_emphasis_on_Peruvian_populations_and_the_description_of_a_new_species .
Lawrence, B. 1941. Neacomys from Northwestern South America. Journal of Mammalogy , 22: 418-427. Accessed June 02, 2019 at https://www.jstor.org/stable/1374938?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents .
Pardiñas, U., J. Patton. 2015. Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents . University of Chicago Press. Accessed June 02, 2019 at https://books.google.com/books?id=4aHLBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA367#v=onepage&q&f=false .
2016. "International Union for Conservation of Nature" (On-line). Neacomys spinosus. Accessed June 02, 2019 at https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14388/115121951#conservation-actions .