Japanese house mouse
| Japanese house mouse | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Mus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | M. m. molossinus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Mus musculus molossinus Temminck, 1845 | |
The Japanese house mouse or Japanese wild mouse (Mus musculus molossinus) is a type of house mouse that originated in Japan. Genetically, it is a hybrid between the southeastern Asian house mouse (M. m. castaneus) and the eastern European house mouse (M. m. musculus). It is thus not a unique subspecies, but is treated as such for its characteristic features. It is among the smallest house mice. Different strains such as MSM/Ms, JF1, Japanese waltzing mouse, C57BL/6J and MSKR exist following cross breeding with other house mice, and are used in different genetic and medical investigations.