By Lars Higdon
Geographic Range
This species occupies a range from southeastern and central Brazil through Uruguay, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. (Redford and Eisenberg, 1992)
Biogeographic Regions:
neotropical 
.
Habitat
(2624 ft)
Akodon cursor is one of the most common species in the forest and forest-grassland ecotones. In Misiones province, Argentina, they are found in a variety of habitats but prefe flat and xeric, semi-deciduous areas. This species also displays spatial partitioning with Akodon montensis. Akodon cursor dominates elevations from 0-800m leaving Akodon montensis to dominate elevations exceeding 800m. Populations of Akodon cursor flourish in dry, open areas with little human influence. (Gentile, 2000; Patton and Smith, 2001; Redford and Eisenberg, 1992)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
tropical ; terrestrial .
Terrestrial Biomes:
savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest .
Physical Description
(1.41 to 1.58 oz)
Akodon cursor is a medium sized, vole-like mouse, with short limbs, and a short tail. The pelage is soft and full with a reddish brown to olive brown color dorsally, fading to more of a tan on the sides and gradually becoming a reddish tan to gray washed with orange on the venter. The tail is sparsely haired and almost bicolored. The feet are tan and the face shows some blackish hairs. Juveniles weigh around 30g for females and 28g for males. The sub-adult class contains females ranging from 30g-40g and males ranging from 28g-45g. Adult males weigh around 45g and adult females can weigh greater than 40g. (Gentile, 2000; Nowak, 1999; Redford and Eisenberg, 1992)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Sexual dimorphism: male larger.
Reproduction
Breeding occurs continually during conditions appropriate for breeding, as few as twice yearly or as often as every month.
Breeding typically occurs from September to March, but may occur year-round.
There is little information on mating in Akodon cursor. (Gentile, 2000)
Breeding season is typically from September to March, however, this species will breed year round opportunistically if conditions are right. Reproduction is also tied to habitat availability. During the rainy season habitat is lost to flooding and scarcity of litter and understory. Most births usually occur in dry periods but reproductive patterns are not distinct. As a result most juveniles are present during periods of low precipitation. The litter size is usually three and average gestation time of other Akodon species is 23 days. Young are weaned at about 14 days old in other Akodon species. Akodon cursor will occasionally hybridize with other species of the same genus including Akodon montensis. Many females retain a copulatory plug to indicate they have mated. For males, sexual maturity occurs at 32-37 days old and at 28g. For females, sexual maturity is delayed to around 42 days or at a weight of 30g. Overall, this species has a short life expectancy, short gestation time, and early maturity which results in rapid population turnover and quick responses to environmental variation. Delayed implantation is thought to occur in some species of Akodon and may occur in Akodon cursor as well. (Gentile, 2000; Patton and Smith, 2001; Redford and Eisenberg, 1992)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous ; delayed implantation .
Young are nursed and cared by their mother for until they are weaned at about 14 days old.
Parental investment:
altricial ; female parental care .
Lifespan/Longevity
There is little information on longevity in Akodon cursor. It is likely that most mortality occurs during their first year and that they are unlikely to reach their third year.
Behavior
Akodon cursor can be territorial. This species also reduces activity in times of low temperatures to conserve heat due to their large surface area to volume ratio. (Bittencourt et al., 1999; Fernandez, Freitas, and Cerqueira, 1999; Gentile and Cerqueira, 1995)
Home Range
This species has shown the greatest frequency of movement from 0-20m away from nest sites with most movements less than 30m away. This indicates a relatively small home range in comparison to other neotropical rodents. Any significant difference between the movement patterns of males and females has not been observed. Lower mobility of Akodon cursor is also paired with higher aggregation and more permanent populations. (Gentile and Cerqueira, 1995)
Key behaviors:
terricolous; motile ; daily torpor; territorial .
Communication and Perception
Akodon cursor, like most mammals, relies on a suite of visual, auditory, chemical, and tactile cues for communicating with conspecifics. It is likely that olfactory cues are important in communicating territories and reproductive activity.
Food Habits
Stomach samples from this species have indicated a diverse diet ranging from plant material and seeds to adult and larval coleopterans, lepidopterans, and dipterans. (Redford and Eisenberg, 1992)
Primary Diet:
omnivore .
Animal Foods:
insects.
Plant Foods:
leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts.
Predation
- snakes (Serpentes)
- diurnal raptors (Falconiformes)
- small to medium-sized mammalian carnivores (Mammalia)
- owls (Strigiformes)
Akodon cursor blends well with it's environment and utilizes ground cover and brush to hide from predators. A variety of raptors and carnivores feed on this species. (Redford and Eisenberg, 1992)
Anti-predator adaptations::
cryptic .
Ecosystem Roles
Akodon cursor is a mouse that typically occurs in great abundance in open, dry areas. It often preys on small insects and plant material. It may also disperse seeds that are ingested as food. This species also acts as food for larger mammals, snakes, and raptors. (Nowak, 1999; Redford and Eisenberg, 1992)
Key ways these animals impact their ecosystem:
disperses seeds.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known negative impacts of Akodon cursor on humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Despite the reputation of rodents to damage crops, this has not been observed in this species. The diet of this species, which includes insects, may actually help reduce farm pests and crop damage. (Gentile, 2000)
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Lower Risk - Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
Akodon cursor is abundant in appropriate habitats, they are not protected under CITES or IUCN.
Other Comments
A recent study has shown that females of this species have exhibited an XY chromosome combination in 10-66% of samples. Sex ratio of males to females is typically 1:1. (D'Andrea et al., 1999; Patton and Smith, 2001)
Contributors
Lars Higdon (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Chris Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
