Dear Clive Herbert,
There have been a number of scientific articles in recent decades proposing
this
split, which apparently has not necessarily been accepted by all authorities.
Is
there a recent consensus article? Moreover, has more light been shed into the
story that laboratory mice may be hybrids between M. (m.) musculus and M. (m.)
domesticus? And finally, albeit that undoubtedly many introduced animals came
through the UK to Australia, how do we know that about mice, which reportedly
were introduced accidentally by ships (theoretically originating from harbours
in the range of either musculus or domesticus or spretus or castaneus or...)?
Regards,
Nikolas
----------------
Nikolas Haass
Sydney, NSW
----- Original Message ----
From: clive herbert <>
To: ;
Sent: Wed, September 29, 2010 8:40:43 PM
Subject: Off topic - Mouse ID
The correct specific name for the House Mouse that we have in Britain is Mus
domesticus not Mus musculus. Originally the introduced House Mouse in Western
Europe (including Britain) was regarded as one variable species Mus musculus.
Several species have now been recognised, including M. spretis (Iberia), M.
domesticus (rest of western Europe) and M. musculus (eastern Europe) which meet
but scarcely interbreed along a line from Denmark to the Dalmatian coast. All
of
the lab mice etc are from M. domesticus. Assuming that the introduced
population
present in Australia will most likely to have originated from the UK, rather
than mainland Europe, then your species should now be called M. domesticus.
Clive Herbert
Director
Amphibian, Reptile & Mammal Conservation Ltd
67A Ridgeway Avenue
East Barnet
Hertfordshire
England
EN4 8TL
> From:
> To:
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:30:32 +1000
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Off topic - Mouse ID
>
> Thanks to all the people who responded to my request - nearly universally
> the mouse was identified as a plain old house mouse, Mus Musculus.
>
> Bill
>
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