{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,3]],"date-time":"2025-09-03T00:07:44Z","timestamp":1756858064233,"version":"3.44.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Walter de Gruyter GmbH","issue":"5","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,25]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Tail autotomy (hereafter \u2018autotomy\u2019) is an antipredator adaptation relatively uncommon among rodents, with the \u2018false\u2019 type being the most prevalent. Here, we document false autotomy in the glirid <jats:italic>Eliomys melanurus<\/jats:italic> (Wagner, 1840) via opportunistic observations of two individuals live-trapped in north-western Saudi Arabia. During handling, minimal pressure exerted on the tail inadvertently induced autotomy, consistent with patterns reported in other dormice. Historical records and ecological traits corroborate false autotomy in <jats:italic>E<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>melanurus<\/jats:italic> and suggest its occurrence in <jats:italic>Eliomys munbyanus<\/jats:italic>, thus potentially characterising the genus <jats:italic>Eliomys<\/jats:italic> as autotomy-capable. Given <jats:italic>Eliomys<\/jats:italic>\u2019 susceptibility to autotomy, we outline recommendations for developing autotomy-informed handling protocols.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1515\/mammalia-2024-0181","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,25]],"date-time":"2025-06-25T00:55:33Z","timestamp":1750812933000},"page":"504-508","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["First direct evidence of false tail autotomy in the black-tailed garden dormouse (<i>Eliomys melanurus<\/i>) and implications for developing tail-autotomy-informed handling protocols"],"prefix":"10.1515","volume":"89","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2305-1564","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcello","family":"Bilancioni","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBIO, Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, InBIO Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Universidade do Porto , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"},{"name":"BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"}]},{"given":"Diogo F.","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBIO, Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, InBIO Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Universidade do Porto , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"},{"name":"BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"}]},{"given":"Raquel","family":"Nogueira de Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBIO, Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, InBIO Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Universidade do Porto , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"},{"name":"BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"}]},{"given":"L\u00e1szl\u00f3","family":"Patk\u00f3","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Royal Commission for AlUla , Headquarters, Musa Bin Al Nusayr Road, 43532 Al Jadidah , AlUla , Saudi Arabia"}]},{"given":"Lourens","family":"Du Preez-Van Essen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Royal Commission for AlUla , Headquarters, Musa Bin Al Nusayr Road, 43532 Al Jadidah , AlUla , Saudi Arabia"}]},{"given":"Leili","family":"Khalatbari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBIO, Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, InBIO Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Universidade do Porto , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"},{"name":"BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Carlos","family":"Brito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIBIO, Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, InBIO Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Universidade do Porto , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"},{"name":"BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO , Campus de Vair\u00e3o , Vair\u00e3o , Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias , Universidade do Porto , Portugal"}]}],"member":"374","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_001","unstructured":"Airapetyants, A.E. (1983). Dormice. Leningrad University Press, Leningrad."},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_002","unstructured":"Bilancioni, M., Ferreira, D., Khalatbari, L., Boraty\u0144ski, Z., Rebelo, H., \u00c1lvares, F., Liz, A.V., Alfakih, A., Taheri, A., Santos, B., et al.. (2024) Mammals of AlUla. In: Gon\u00e7alves, D.V., Khalatbari, L., Santos, B., Yusefi, G.H., and Brito, J.C. (Eds.). Field guide series \u2013 fauna of AlUla. Royal Commission for AlUla, AlUla, Saudi Arabia."},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_003","unstructured":"Buddenhagen, M. (2019). Eliomys munbyanus. Animal Diversity Web, https:\/\/animaldiversity.org\/accounts\/Eliomys_munbyanus\/ (Accessed 11 December 2024)."},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_004","unstructured":"Caro, T. (2005) Flight and behaviors of last resort. In: Caro, T. (Ed.). Antipredator defenses in birds and mammals. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. 413\u2013441."},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_005","unstructured":"de Magalh\u00e3es, J.P. (2023). AnAge entry for Eliomys melanurus. In: AnAge: the animal ageing and longevity database. Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab, University of Birmingham, https:\/\/genomics.senescence.info\/species\/entry.php?species=Eliomys_melanurus (Accessed 25 November 2024)."},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fischer, D., Ziegler, L., Hail, K., Heckmann, J., Reiners, T.E., Bauer, C., Lierz, M., and Lang, J. (2018). Clinical examination methods and investigation into the occurrence of endoparasites, Borna disease virus and genetic variability in the garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus. Folia Zool. 67: 69\u201377, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25225\/fozo.v67.i2.a1.2018.","DOI":"10.25225\/fozo.v67.i2.a1.2018"},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"G\u00f6gl, H. (1930). Zur Frage der Schwanzautotomie bei Nagern. Z. Morphol. \u00d6kol. Tiere 19: 135\u2013143.","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00412292"},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Iwasa, M.A. and Hasegawa, A. (2022). Caudal vertebral fragilities related to loss of a tail part in two species of the Japanese field mice. Mammal Study 47: 125\u2013131, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3106\/ms2020-0056.","DOI":"10.3106\/ms2020-0056"},{"key":"2025090212051956750_j_mammalia-2024-0181_ref_009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ju\u0161kaitis, R. (2006). Tail autotomy in the common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius): some ecological aspects. Mamm. 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