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Caatinga vesper mouse | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Cricetidae |
Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
Genus: | Calomys |
Species: | C. expulsus
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Binomial name | |
Calomys expulsus (Lund, 1841)
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The caatinga vesper mouse (Calomys expulsus) (also known as the caatinga laucha[2] or rejected vesper mouse[1]) is a rodent species in the family Cricetidae from South America.[2] It is endemic to eastern Brazil, where it is found in open savanna (cerrado) and thorny scrub (caatinga) habitats.[1] Its karyotype has 2n = 66 and FN = 68. It was formerly synonymized with C. callosus, but the latter has 2n = 50 and FN = 66.[2] Karyologic analysis of C. expulsus has shown that the X chromosome is large and submetacentric while the Y chromosome is either acrocentric or submetacentric.[3] Predators include the barn owl .[4] Sexual dimorphism in shape and size occurs; the former is present mainly before the age of 20 days. Males are smaller before age 50 days and larger thereafter, which becomes less prominent after 200 days.[5]