NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Koopman's Montane Voalavo
Monticolomys koopmani Carleton & Goodman, 1996
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Known localities of the the rodent Monticolomys. Source: data in Carleton, M.D. and Goodman, S.M. 1996. Systematic studies of Madagascar's endemic rodents (Muroidea: Nesomyinae): A new genus and species from the Central Highlands. Fieldiana Zoology 85:231–250. Goodman, S.M., Rakotondravony, D., Schatz, G. and Wilmé, L. 1996. Species richness of forest-dwelling birds, rodents and insectivores in a planted forest of native trees: a test case from the Ankaratra, Madagascar. Ecotropica 2:109–120. Goodman, S.M., Carleton, M.D. and Pidgeon, M. 1999. Rodents of the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d'Andohahela, Madagascar. Fieldiana Zoology 94:217–249. Maminirina C.P., Goodman S.M. and Raxworthy C. J. 2008. Les micro-mammifères (Mammalia, Rodentia, Afrosoricida et Soricomorpha) du massif du Tsaratanana et biogéographie des forêts de montagne de Madagascar. Zoosystema 30(3):695–721 (in French). Rasolonondrasana, B.P.N. and Goodman, S.M. 2006. The influence of fire on mountain sclerophyllous forests and their small-mammal communities in Madagascar. Pp. 77–87 in Spehn, E.M., Liberman, M. and Körner, C. (eds.). Land Use Change and Mountain Biodiversity. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, 361 pp. ISBN 9780849335235 Created using User:Ucucha/Mapper.
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Open encyclopedia reference
The Malagasy mountain mouse or Koopman's montane voalavo (Monticolomys koopmani) is a rodent in the subfamily Nesomyinae of the family Nesomyidae. It is monotypic within the genus Monticolomys, and is closely related to the big-footed mouse (Macrotarsomys). It is found in the highlands of eastern Madagascar. This small, mouse-like rodent is dark brown on its upperparts and dark gray on its underparts. It has small, rounded, densely haired ears and broad feet with well-developed pads. The long tail lacks a tuft at the tip. The skull is delicate and lacks crests and ridges on its roof.
First collected in 1929, the Malagasy mountain mouse was not formally described until 1996, but it is now known to have a broad distribution. Active during the night, it occurs in both montane forest and human-disturbed grasslands and feeds on fruits and seeds. A scansorial animal, it climbs trees but also lives on the ground. Although habitat destruction may pose a threat, it is classified as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
Wikipedia contributors, Malagasy mountain mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:05:46.695567+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Monticolomys koopmani Carleton & Goodman, 1996
- Name authority
- Carleton & Goodman, 1996
- Common name
- Koopman's Montane Voalavo
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Nesomyidae
- Genus
- Monticolomys
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyNesomyidae Forsyth Major, 1897
- subfamilyNesomyinae Forsyth Major, 1897
- genusMonticolomys Carleton & Goodman, 1996
- speciesMonticolomys koopmani Carleton & Goodman, 1996
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=970582 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:44B8D. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.