Macrotarsomys bastardi Milne-Edwards &amp; G. Grandidier 1898
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Nesomyidae
Macrotarsomys
Macrotarsomys bastardi

description: 18. Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse <i>Macrotarsomys bastardi</i> <b>French:</b> Kelibotra de Bastard / <b>German:</b> Bastard-MadagaskarGrofRfuRmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Raton de pies grandes de Bastard <b>Other common names:</b> Lesser Big-footed Mouse, Western Big-footed Mouse, Western Forest Mouse <b>Taxonomy.</b> Macrotarsomys bastardi Milne-Edwards &amp; G. Grandidier, 1898, “sud du Mangoky, entre Midongy et Thosy [= Ihosy].” Two subspecies are recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> M.b.bastard:Milne-Edwards&amp;G.Grandidier,1898—moreuplandSCportionofMadagascar. M. b. occidentalis Ellerman, 1949 — W &amp; S Madagascar. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 89-103 mm, tail 120-145 mm; weight 20-26 g. Dorsal pelage of Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse is distinctly soft and fine, grayish brown and slightly dull yellow. Flanks have distinct line separating back, and venteris uniform white. Eyes are proportionately large, rostrum is slightly pointed, and ears are distinctly elongated. Tail is remarkably long, brownish-gray dorsally and light gray ventrally; tip is trimmed with a few brown hairs. Hindlegs are elongated. <b>Habitat.</b> Dry deciduous forest and spiny bush from near sea level to elevations of c.915 m. Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse occurs in areas with sandy soils. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> In captivity, Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse eats seeds and fruit and also has been noted to be folivore and insectivore. <b>Breeding.</b> Bastard’s Big-footed Mice live in pairs, but no details are available on their breeding systems and ecology. Maximum litter size is generally three young, but four embryos have been found in one case. Females have two sets of mammae. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse is nocturnal and probably exclusively terrestrial. It occupies shallow burrows in sandy soil with small inconspicuous openings, which it backfills after entering. These plugs can be obvious in the early morning when soil is still slightly moist. End of the burrow system has an area of dried leaves and grass, which forms the nest. It moves kangaroo-like, with bounding action on its proportionately long hindfeet and using tail as a stabilizer. It is preyed on by barn owls (7yto alba) and Fosas (Cryptoprocta ferox). <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse is largely a dry deciduous forest or open bush-dwelling species and is known from various localities in southern and north-western Madagascar. Given its apparent adaptability to open and slightly degraded environments, Bastard’s Bigfooted Mouse appears more adapted to anthropogenic changes than most species of Nesomyinae. It has been previously considered the most common native rodent in western Madagascar, but in certain areas,this is not the case. It has been proposed that introduced House Mice (Mus musculus) compete with Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse for burrows. <b>Bibliography.</b> Carleton &amp; Goodman (2003c), Carleton &amp; Schmidt (1990), Dollar et al. (2007), Ellerman (1949), Ganzhorn et al. (1996), Goodman &amp; Griffiths (2009), Goodman, Ganzhorn &amp; Rakotondravony (2003), Goodman, Mittermeier et al. (2014), Goodman, Soarimalala et al. (2013), Hawkins &amp; Racey (2008), Jansa et al. (2008), Petter (1972a), Petter &amp; Randrianasolo (1961), Rasoma &amp; Goodman (2007), Soarimalala &amp; Goodman (2011).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier &amp; Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Nesomyidae, pp. 156-203 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 189, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6600357