Onychomys arenicola Mearns 1896

Mearns' grasshopper mouse habitat in Texas includes low, arid, sandy or gravelly desert areas where the principle vegetation consists of creosote brush, mesquite, yucca, lechuguilla, and condalia. In New Mexico it is associated with desert grasslands dominated by black grama and mesa dropseed with occasional soaptree yucca and Mormon tea, annual and perennial forbes and grasses.

This mouse is found at elevations ranging from 1,340 m to 1,580 m.

Range elevation: 1340 to 1580 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune

The feeding habits of Mearns' grasshopper mouse are similar to those of Onychomys leucogaster.

Their diet consists mostly of other animals (about 90%) but also a variety of plants (10%). They feed mostly on insects (including grasshoppers, scorpions, beetles, and crickets), but will attack and eat other small mammals, including other grasshopper mice.

The stomach of this species is interesting, because the peptic and muriatic glands are disposed in a special pocket, perhaps to protect them from damage by the chitin in their food. They are reported to cache food.

Animal Foods: birds; mammals; reptiles; insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods

Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts

Foraging Behavior: stores or caches food

Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )

As a predator, O. arenicola probably helps to regulate certain insect populations. As a prey species, abundance of O. arenicola may help to regulate populations of its predators. However, because it does not occur at very high densities, it is not likely to be a very important component of the diet of any predator.

Due tot heir seed caching behavior, it is possible that these animals also help to disperse seeds of certain plants.

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds

Due to their strong territoriality and predatory nature, O. arenicola can be beneficial to people. O. arenicola can be beneficial by negatively impacting populations of small rodents and insects, species that may have negative affects on human practices such as agriculture.

Members of the genus Onochomys are reported to make docile and fascinating pets, indicating that these animals present some value to the pet trade.

Positive Impacts: pet trade ; controls pest population

When the supply of food is low, grasshopper mice have been known to eat and or cache plant matter. This may result in negative affects on human agriculture.

Negative Impacts: crop pest

No special conservation issues are currently recognized, but due to the geographic isolation and ecology of this species, habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation could significantly influence population dynamics.

US Migratory Bird Act: no special status

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Members of the genus Onychomys are known to make different vocalizations in different social contexts, including a "chit" sound during aggression, and a soft "chirp" during mating. This indicates that acoustic communication is important in this species. Fighing behavior most certainly could be considered a form of tactile communication. Tactile communication is probably also important between a mother and her young and between mates. It is likely that there are also visual and chemical signals passing between conspecifics, as is common in most mammals.

Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

In previous articles O. arenicola was combined with O. torridus; however, recent genetic work has recognized Mearns grasshopper mouse as a separate species. In southwestern New Mexico, O. arenicola was found to be specifically distinct from O. torridus when a contact zone between the two species was found and no hybridization or back crosses, based on karyotypes, occurred.

Onychomys arenicola, Mearns grasshopper mouse, has a limited distribution in the southwestern portion of North America. It can be found in south-central New Mexico, extreme western Texas, and northeastern Mexico.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

Grasshopper mice kept in pairs in captivity reached an average age of barely four years, five years at the most. The lifespan of thse mice in the wild has not been reported.

Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 4 to 4 years.

Onychomys arenicola is a small mouse with a fat tail. It has a cinnamon-pink or grayish dorsal side and a white ventral side. At the base of each ear on the front side, there is usually a white or grayish tuft of fur. The nose, cheeks and sides are white. The tail of this mouse is sparsely haired and bicolored, with dark above and white below. The tail makes up more than about 1/3 of total length of the mouse, and is 2.5 times as long as the hind foot length. This species is similar to Onychomys leucogaster, but smaller, with a relatively longer tail and smaller teeth. It is also similar in appearance to Onychomys torridus, but is smaller in every measurement except the nasal length of the skull.

Juveniles look like adults, but their upper parts are bluish-gray.

The total length of adults averages 146 mm, the tail averages 52 mm, and the hind foot averages 21 mm. The weight of adult males ranges between 24 and 30 g, with an average of 26.5 g. Females are lighter, typically weighing between 22 and 28 g, and averaging 25 g.

Range mass: 22 to 30 g.

Average mass: 25-26.5 g.

Average length: 146 mm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

Onychomys arenicola avoids predators by spending daytime hours inside burrows. Their most active time coincides with little to no moonlight; that is before the moon rises, after it sets, during new moon phases, or during overcast conditions.

Given its habitat and nocturnal lifestyle, the most likely predators of this species are owls, snakes, and carnivorous mammals like coyotes and bobcats.

Known Predators:

• snakes (Serpentes)
• owls (Strigiformes)
• coyotes (Canis latrans)
• bobcats (Lynx rufus)

The mating system of these mice has not been reported. They are presumed to be polygynous, although in congeneric species, males and females are known to associate in pairs throughout the year, and may be monogamous.

Breeding begins in late January or early February and continues into September. Gestation period is 26 to 35 days. Litter size varies between two and seven. Half-grown young have been captured in April, June, July, and August, suggesting these mice produce two to three litters per year.

Although data are scarce for O. arenicola, in general, mice in this genus weigh about 2.6 g at birth. Their eyes open at about 2 weeks of age. Young mice are typically weaned around 3 weeks of age.

Females in this genus become sexually mature at seven to eight weeks of age. A young female can give birth to her first litter at four months of age.

Breeding interval: It is likely that these mice breed approximately three times per year, all in the spring and early summer months.

Breeding season: Breeding occurs from January through September.

Range number of offspring: 2 to 7.

Range gestation period: 26 to 35 days.

Average weaning age: 3 weeks.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 4 months.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 4 months.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization ; viviparous

The young are born without much ability to move around. Their eyes are closed. Females nurse their offspring and care for them in a nest. It is not known whether the male participates in parental care.

Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)

Onychomys arenicola és una espècie de rosegador de la família dels cricètids. Viu als Estats Units (Arizona, Nou Mèxic i Texas) i Mèxic. Els seus hàbitats naturals són les selves nebuloses i els boscos de pins i roures. Es creu que no hi ha cap amenaça significativa per a la supervivència d'aquesta espècie. El seu nom específic, arenicola, significa 'arenícola' en llatí.

Mearns's grasshopper mouse or the Chihuahuan grasshopper mouse (Onychomys arenicola) is a grasshopper mouse found in southwestern New Mexico, West Texas, and north-central Mexico. They are similar to Onychomys torridus, but differ in karyotype and size. This mouse is smaller in every regard except for the nasal length of the skull.

They are found in semiarid habitat, prairie, and scrub. They feed largely on insects and other invertebrates, including scorpions. They also feed on small muroid rodents and pocket mice.

El ratón chapulinero del Sur (Onychomys arenicola) es una especie de roedor de la familia Cricetidae. Como el resto de especies del género Onychomys, destaca por ser un roedor depredador.

(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.log.warn("Gadget "ErrefAurrebista" was not loaded. Please migrate it to use ResourceLoader. See u003Chttps://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berezi:Gadgetaku003E.");});

Onychomys arenicola Onychomys generoko animalia da. Karraskarien barruko Neotominae azpifamilia eta Cricetidae familian sailkatuta dago.

Onychomys arenicola is een zoogdier uit de familie van de Cricetidae. De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort werd voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd door Mearns in 1896.

Onychomys arenicola är en däggdjursart som beskrevs av Edgar Alexander Mearns 1896. Onychomys arenicola ingår i släktet gräshoppsmöss och familjen hamsterartade gnagare. IUCN kategoriserar arten globalt som livskraftig. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Denna gnagare når en absolut längd av 13 till 16 cm, inklusive en kort svans på 4,5 till 5,5 cm. Den väger 21 till 29 g. Pälsen är på ovansidan brun med många svarta hår inblandade vad som ger djuret ett grått utseende. På undersidan är pälsen vitaktig.

Onychomys arenicola förekommer i norra Mexiko samt i angränsande områden av Texas, New Mexico och Arizona. Arten lever i buskskogar i regioner där sand och några klippor förekommer. Utbredningsområdet ligger 1300 till 1600 meter över havet.

Individerna är aktiva på natten och gräver underjordiska bon. Honor föder sina ungar där. Vanligen bor en hane, två vuxna honor och deras ungar i boet. Födan utgörs av olika leddjur, till exempel insekter. Fortplantningen sker mellan mars och september. Ungarna diar sin mor 20 till 23 dagar. Unga honor blir redan efter 8 veckor könsmogna.

Onychomys arenicola là một loài động vật có vú trong họ Cricetidae, bộ Gặm nhấm. Loài này được Mearns mô tả năm 1896.