Nordmann's birch mouse
Species of birch mouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nordmann's birch mouse (Sicista loriger) is a species of birch mouse in the family Sminthidae.[2] It is named after Finnish biologist Alexander von Nordmann. It is native to eastern and southeastern Europe.
| Nordmann's birch mouse | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sminthidae |
| Genus: | Sicista |
| Species: | S. loriger |
| Binomial name | |
| Sicista loriger (Nathusius, 1840) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sicista nordmanni (Keyserling & Blasius, 1840) | |
Taxonomy
It was long thought to be a subspecies of the southern birch mouse (S. subtilis), but a 2016 study found sufficient genetic and anatomical divergence for it to be considered its own species.[3][4]
Distribution
Status
This species has a fragmented distribution due to its reliance on the largely developed steppe habitat. Populations in these fragmented regions also face ongoing threats from development and agriculture. Due to this, this species is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List.[1]