Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse vs

Heteromys desmarestianus compared with Exobasidium splendidum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Exobasidiomycetes (Exobasidiomycetes)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Exobasidiales (Exobasidiales)
Family	Heteromyidae	Exobasidiaceae
Genus	Heteromys	Exobasidium
Species	Heteromys desmarestianus	Exobasidium splendidum

Conservation Status

Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

Exobasidium splendidum is a parasitic basidiomycete fungus that forms galls and hypertrophied growths on the leaves and stems of host plants in the heath family. It inhabits boreal and montane habitats where Ericaceae shrubs such as Arctostaphylos grow. This parasitic fungus deforms host plant tissue to extract nutrients during its reproductive phase.