Pseudomys hermannsburgensis

The sandy inland mouse (Pseudomys hermannsburgensis) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. Also known as the Hermannsburg (Mission) false-mouse or Hermannsburg Mouse, it is endemic to Australia and found widely yet sparsely through arid and semi-arid areas. The sandy inland mouse is greyish-brown to sandy-brown with off-white underside. Adults weigh approximately 9 to 15 grams, and measure 55-80mm from nose to base of tail with a tail between 70 and 90mm. Physically similar to the several other species including the house mouse it differs in lacking the notched incisors and distinctive musty odour of M. domesticus. The sandy inland mouse can be distinguished from several species including P. chapmani, P. delicatulus and Mus musculus by the pattern of the footpads. Furthermore it has smaller ears and hind feet than Bolam’s Mouse, and the tail is shorter and less heavily furred allowing distinction between the two species. The sandy inland mouse was first described by Waite (1896) as Mus hermannsburgensis following the Horn scientific expedition in 1894 during which the natural history of central Australia was studied. Following this it was placed in Pseudomys and Leggadina by various people, but has prevailed in Pseudomys since 1970. Leggadina hermannsburgensis brazenori has been identified as a synonym of Pseudomys hermannsburgensis, and while it has no currently identified subspecies Pseudomys bolami was previously thought of as a subspecies. Endemic to Australia, the sandy inland mouse can be found widely yet sparsely throughout arid and semi-arid areas of central southern and western Australia. The sandy inland mouse is present through New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The major focus of studies on the species appears to centre on NSW where it has been found in Sturt National Park, Fowlers Gap Station north of Broken Hill, near Kajuligah Nature Reserve north of Ivanhoe, the Enngonia area north-east of Bourke, and at several locations in the Tibooburra area. It is also found on some islands off the coast of Western Australia, including Dirk Hartog, Dixon, Rosemary, and Hope off the Pilbara. Populations in central Australia are thought to be largely sedentary despite observations of individuals covering distances of up to 14 km in NSW and Queensland Sandy inland mouse habitat is generally characterised by open vegetation, with a preference for friable soils such as sands and sandy loams on arid plains and dunes. Examples include, hummock grasslands, Mulga flats, alluvial flats and gibber plains, with Coolibah and Acacia woodlands having been observed as popular habitat. With a diet heavy in spinifex seed the sandy inland mouse is known to forage under heavy spinifex cover, with a preference for burnt over unburnt habitat.