birding-aus

Off topic - Mouse ID

To: Nikolas Haass <>
Subject: Off topic - Mouse ID
From: Merrilyn Serong <>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:33:10 +1000
If this were Mousing-Aus, I'd ask about the differences among the various House Mouse species, but it might be getting too far off topic. Maybe not, though. Some birds eat mice.
Cheers,
Merrilyn

Nikolas Haass wrote:
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: RE: [Birding-Aus] 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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