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The large Mindoro forest mouse (''Apomys gracilirostris'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, from the genus ''Apomys''. It is found only in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is a large mouse with large feet, a long tail and an elongated snout which is morphologically unique within its genus. It is covered in soft fur which is mostly dark brown in colour. Its closest relative is thought to be the Luzon montane forest mouse, based on genetic and morphological similarities. ==Discovery and taxonomy== In May and June 1992, an expedition to the Philippines was organised for the purpose of increasing the knowledge on their biodiversity. During this expedition, sixteen examples of a then unknown species of mouse were captured on Mount Halcon, on the island Mindoro. To this day, these animals, all captured between May 28 and June 12, 1992, remain the only known specimens of this species. In 1995, in the scientific journal ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'', biologist Luis A. Ruedas described the animal as ''Apomys gracilirostris''. At the time it was the ninth known species of the endemic Filipino genus ''Apomys'', and the second found on Mindoro, after ''Apomys musculus'' (least forest mouse). The editors of a compilation work on the indigenous mammals of the Philippines accepted the animal as a new species in 1998.〔 ''A. gracilirostris'' was the first newly described ''Apomys'' since 1962, when ''Apomys sacobianus'' (long-nosed Luzon forest mouse) was described. However, it was far from being the only new species discovered in the Philippines. Several new rodents had already been discovered in the eighties, one of which was actually from Mindoro as well (''Anonymomys mindorensis'' or Mindoro climbing rat). A constant supply of new species remained in the years after the description of ''A. gracilirostris''. In ten years time, eight new mammal species were added to the list.〔These were ''Crateromys heaneyi'', ''Sus oliveri'', ''Archboldomys musseri'', ''Batomys russatus'', ''Crunomys suncoides'', ''Bullimus gamay'', ''Limnomys bryophilus'' and ''Chrotomys sibuyanensis''.〕 In 2006, another new ''Apomys'' was described: ''Apomys camiguinensis'' (Camiguin forest mouse). ''Apomys'' also comprises several species which are yet undescribed, two of which are from Mindoro. Another species from Mindoro, from the predominantly Indonesian genus ''Maxomys'', has yet to receive its scientific name.〔Musser & Carleton, 2005, pp. 1258, 1282, 1368〕 In accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the name ''Apomys gracilirostris'' is a binomen. The generic name, ''Apomys'' was proposed by American biologist Edgar Mearns in 1905 and has the meaning of "mouse from Mount Apo" (''mys'', μῦς, being the Ancient Greek word for "mouse"); this because the type species of the genus was first found on Mount Apo. The specific name, ''gracilirostris'', is a combination of the Latin words ''gracilis'' "slender" and ''rostrum'' "snout" and refers to the animal's long, slender snout. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Large Mindoro forest mouse」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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