New species of ‘Spiny Pocket Mouse’ discovered in Venezuela

The newly identified mouse, Heteromys catopterius, alongside the more familiar Heteromys anolmalus. H. catopterius is darker and longer. Credit Eliecer E. Gutierrez

February 2010. A new species of ‘Spiny mouse', the ‘Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse' or Heteromys catopterius, has been discovered in Venezuela by scientists from the City College of New York.

The name derives from the Greek - katoptêrios - which means a "height that commands a view." It was chosen for the new species in reference to its presence on four wet, mountainous forest regions of the rugged and steep-sided Cordillera de la Costa along the country's northern coast.

Confined to higher altitudes
Several features differentiate the Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse from the more common Heteromys anomalus, known as the Caribbean Spiny Pocket Mouse. H. catopterius has darker fur and lacks the distinctly rounded ears of H. anomalus. In addition, its skull is wider and less elongated. The Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse is found in elevations ranging from 350 to 2,450 metres above sea level, although mostly above 700 metres. In contrast, H. anomalus resides mostly in lowlands and lower elevations of the mountains of the region. H. catopterius may be vulnerable to climate change as it lives at higher altitudes and will have little chance to migrate to more suitable climactic regions.

The findings were published in the "Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History," in a Festschrift, a special volume in honor of Dr. Guy G. Musser, a curator at the museum who retired recently. The research was funded through a National Science Foundation grant.

Heteromys catopterius was discovered in Venezuela's Coastal Range by Dr. Robert P. Anderson, Associate Professor of Biology at The City College of New York, and Ph.D. student Eliécer E. Gutiérrez.

Photo of Rancho Grande, where the new species of mouse was discovered. Credit Dr. Robert P. Anderson