Deomyinae is a relatively large subfamily of rodents in the family Muridae. There are 42 species in 4 genera in this subfamily, Acomys (spiny mice), Lophuromys (brush-furred rats), Uranomys (Rudd's mice), and Deomys (Congo forest mice). (Musser and Carleton, 2005)
Deomyines are found throughout Africa and in the Middle East from Pakistan to Crete, where the species Acomys minous is endemic, and Cyprus, where the species Acomys nesiotes is endemic. (Nowak, 1999)
Deomyines inhabit grasslands, savannahs, tropical and montane forests, semideserts, and swamps. They live at elevations from sea level to over 4,000 meters. (Nowak, 1999)
These mouselike rodents measure 70 to 175 mm in head and body length, and their tails measure 42 to 215 mm. They weigh 11 to 111 grams. They have large, prominent ears and most have long, thick fur. The fur of some species takes the form of stiff spines that cover the dorsal surface. Deomyines are reddish, pale yellow, dark brown, buff, or gray in color, sometimes with fine speckles or streaks, and their underparts are brown, white, cinnamon, cream, or dark orange. Some deomyine species are polymorphic, with melanistic black individuals appearing in the population. (Hubbard, 1972; Nowak, 1999)
Some deomyines concentrate their reproduction during the rainy seasons, when food is plentiful, and others breed year round. Some females have been known to bear more than 12 litters in a row with no break. This rapid succession of broods is facilitated by a postpartum estrus, which ensures that females become pregnant again immediately after giving birth. Gestation lasts four to six weeks, and litter sizes range from one to six. The young of some species are highly precocial and are born with their eyes open, and others take up to a week to open their eyes. Nursing lasts up to two weeks, and the young are sexually mature at two to three months of age. (Nowak, 1999)
Young deomyines ranges from precocial to altricial. Precocial young accompany their mother while she forages, having no nest in which to rest, and eat solid food on their first day. Altricial young clamp onto their mother's nipples and nurse almost continuously for several days. Males of some species participate in raising their offspring. Each male stays near his mate when she is giving birth, and then he joins the female in grooming the youngsters (Menge and Alberts 2002). (Hubbard, 1972; Menge and Alberts, 2002; Nowak, 1999)
Deomyines live as long as five years in captivity; lifespan in the wild is probably somewhat shorter. (Nowak, 1999)
Deomyines are terrestrial rodents that are nocturnal, diurnal, or crepuscular. Some build nests under roots, rocks, or logs, or in simple burrows. Others simply shelter in rock crevices, gerbil burrows, or termite mounds. Some are good climbers, and others are capable of huge leaps when they are disturbed. Deomyines range from solitary and aggressive to gregarious, and some species live in monogamous pairs. (Nowak, 1999)
Pheromones are important tools of communication for these rodents, allowing them to recognize the age and sex of conspecifics (Porter and Doane 1979, Janus and Holman 1989). They perceive the world using visual, tactile, auditory, and chemical cues. (Janus and Holman, 1989; Nowak, 1999; Porter and Doane, 1979)
Deomyines primarily eat insects, especially ants. They also eat small vertebrates such as frogs, and vegetable matter such as grains and grasses. There are reports of deomyines cannibalizing conspecifics. (Hubbard, 1972; Nowak, 1999)
Deomyines are preyed upon by small mammalian carnivores, snakes, and owls. These rodents have some unique anti-predator adaptations. Some are covered with stiff spiny hairs, and others can leap 50 cm into the air when threatened. Some, such as common spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus), have evolved tails that break off easily when grabbed, temporarily distracting predators and giving them time to escape predation (Shargal et al. 1999). (Nowak, 1999; Shargal, et al., 1999)
Deomyines are primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers in their ecosystem. Some deomyine species are important pollinators (Fleming and Nicolson 2002). One species, Acomys cahirinus has become commensal with humans, populating urban areas. Deomyines are parasitized by several flea species, including Parapulex chephrenis, P. echinatus, Xenopsylla brasiliensis, Nosopsyllus incisus, Ctenopthalmus calceatus, C. evidens, C. grzimeki, C. verutus, C. eximius, Dinopsyllus lypusus, and D. longifrons. (Fleming and Nicolson, 2002; Hubbard, 1972; Nowak, 1999)
Deomyines are easy to keep in captivity, and therefore they are used as laboratory animals and have become popular pets in some countries. (Nowak, 1999)
There are 11 deomyine species on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species. One of these species is critically endangered (Asia Minor spiny mice, Acomys cilicicus), four Lophuromys species are near-threatened, three are vulnerable (black-clawed brush-furred rats, Lophuromys melanonyx, Dieterlen's brush-furred mice, Lophuromys dieterleni, and Crete spiny mice, Acomys minous), and three are not known well enough to make an assessment. These rodents, like many others, are threatened by human-induced habitat loss and degradation. A few protected areas have been established that may help preserve some of these species, but research and comprehensive management plans are still needed to prevent further declines. (IUCN, 2004)
Tanya Dewey (), Animal Diversity Web.
Allison Poor (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
living in the northern part of the Old World. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa.
uses sound to communicate
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
an animal that mainly eats meat
Found in coastal areas between 30 and 40 degrees latitude, in areas with a Mediterranean climate. Vegetation is dominated by stands of dense, spiny shrubs with tough (hard or waxy) evergreen leaves. May be maintained by periodic fire. In South America it includes the scrub ecotone between forest and paramo.
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
active at dawn and dusk
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
union of egg and spermatozoan
an animal that mainly eats leaves.
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
an animal that mainly eats seeds
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
fertilization takes place within the female's body
animals that live only on an island or set of islands.
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
Having one mate at a time.
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
active during the night
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
the business of buying and selling animals for people to keep in their homes as pets.
chemicals released into air or water that are detected by and responded to by other animals of the same species
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
"many forms." A species is polymorphic if its individuals can be divided into two or more easily recognized groups, based on structure, color, or other similar characteristics. The term only applies when the distinct groups can be found in the same area; graded or clinal variation throughout the range of a species (e.g. a north-to-south decrease in size) is not polymorphism. Polymorphic characteristics may be inherited because the differences have a genetic basis, or they may be the result of environmental influences. We do not consider sexual differences (i.e. sexual dimorphism), seasonal changes (e.g. change in fur color), or age-related changes to be polymorphic. Polymorphism in a local population can be an adaptation to prevent density-dependent predation, where predators preferentially prey on the most common morph.
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
breeding is confined to a particular season
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
a wetland area that may be permanently or intermittently covered in water, often dominated by woody vegetation.
uses touch to communicate
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
Living on the ground.
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
uses sight to communicate
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
breeding takes place throughout the year
young are relatively well-developed when born
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