Indian Long-tailed Tree Mouse
Vandeleuria oleracea (Bennett, 1832)
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.

Asiatic Long-tailed Climbing Mouse Vandeleuria oleracea. Clicked by Dr. Raju Kasambe in BNHS Conservation Education Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai. Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
Dr. Raju Kasambe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Asiatic long-tailed climbing mouse (Vandeleuria oleracea) is a species of rodent found in South and Southeast Asia. It is known as Sinhala: ගස් මීයා by Sinhalese people.
Vandeleuria oleracea has a lifespan of 2 years. They have a body length that is between 7–9 cm and has different colored upper and underparts. The species is within the Muridae family, which includes close relatives like the Vandeleuria nilagirica. They are found within terrestrial habitats in Asia. Along with this, they are able to secrete and carry two different viruses, Xenotropic Type C Virus and Kyasanur Forest Disease. Their overall conservation status is least concerned.
Wikipedia contributors, Asiatic long-tailed climbing mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:53:40.244433+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Vandeleuria oleracea (Bennett, 1832)
- Name authority
- (Bennett, 1832)
- Common name
- Indian Long-tailed Tree Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Vandeleuria
- 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
- familyMuridae Illiger, 1811
- subfamilyMurinae Illiger, 1811
- genusVandeleuria Gray, 1842
- speciesVandeleuria oleracea (Bennett, 1832)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Vandeleuria. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lankan VandeleuriaVandeleuria nolthenii Phillips, 1929 | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nilgiri VandeleuriaVandeleuria nilagirica (Jerdon, 1867) | MuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Mus povensis Hodgson, 1845 Hodgson, 1845 | synonym |
| Vandeleuria oleracea marica Thomas, 1915 Thomas, 1915 | synonym |
| Vandeleuria oleracea spadicea Ryley, 1914 Ryley, 1914 | synonym |
| Vandeleuria dumecolus (Hodgson, 1841) (Hodgson, 1841) | synonym |
| Mus badius Blyth, 1859 Blyth, 1859 | ambiguous synonym |
| Vandeleuria dumeticola scandens Osgood, 1932 Osgood, 1932 | synonym |
| Vandeleuria oleracea modesta Thomas, 1914 Thomas, 1914 | synonym |
| Mus dumeticola Hodgson, 1845 Hodgson, 1845 | synonym |
| Vandeleuria wroughtoni Ryley, 1914 Ryley, 1914 | synonym |
| Vandeleuria rubida Thomas, 1914 Thomas, 1914 | synonym |
| Vandeleuria sibylla Thomas, 1914 Thomas, 1914 | synonym |
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=585611 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:7FG3J. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.