Taiwan field mouse explained

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.

The Taiwan field mouse is primarily distributed in the montane region between 1,400 and 3,000 m.^[1] They inhabit various habitat types, such as natural or planted forests, grasslands, farms, and campsites, and are omnivorous feeding on plants, insects and fungi.^[2]

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.^[3]

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^[4]). Mark-capture-recapture data suggest that their life span may be less than 1 year in the wild.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Yu . H. T. . Distribution and abundance of small mammals along a subtropical elevational gradient in central Taiwan . 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1994.tb04866.x . Journal of Zoology . 234 . 4 . 577–600 . 1994 .
2. Lin, L. K. . Shiraishi, S. . 1992 . Demography of the Formosan wood mouse Apodemus semotus . Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University . 36 . 3/4 . 245–266. 10.5109/23988 . free .
3. Kaneko . Y. . 10.3106/041.036.0102 . Taxonomic status of Apodemus semotus in Taiwan by morphometrical comparison with A. draco, A. peninsulae and A. latronum in China, Korea and Myanmar . Mammal Study . 36 . 11–22. 2011 . 86147955 .
4. 10.1186/s40555-014-0079-2. The effects of mite parasitism on the reproduction and survival of the Taiwan field mice (Apodemus semotus). Zoological Studies. 53 . 79 . 2014. Lin . J. W. . Lo . H. Y. . Wang . H. C. . Shaner . P. J. L. . free .
5. Shaner, P. L.. Wu, S. H.. Ke, L.. Kao, S. J. . 2013. Trophic divergence reduces survival in an omnivorous rodent . Evolutionary Ecology Research. 15. 1–14.