Steatomys opimus, Pousargues, 1894
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6600357 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6600331 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03993828-FFE1-0F45-FA20-FB79CB37F590 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Steatomys opimus |
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Pousargues’s Fat Mouse
French: Rat-adipeux de Pousargues / German: Pousargues-Fettmaus / Spanish: Ratén grueso de Pousargues
Other common names: Pousargues African Fat Mouse
Taxonomy. Steatomys opimus Pousargues, 1894 View in CoL ,
“ Balao , dans le pays des Dakoas, par 5° 26’ de latitude Nord et environ 17° 40’ de longitude Est,” Central African Republic GoogleMaps .
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Narrowly distributed from S Cameroon E through Central African Republic, N DR Congo, and extreme SW South Sudan. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 115-125 mm, tail 52-65 mm, ear 17-20 mm, hindfoot 18-20 mm; weight 30-50 g. Pousargues’s Fat Mouse is small-sized but large for a species of Steatomys . Tail is short and sparsely haired, darker above than below. Furis soft and grayish-brown dorsally, clearly demarcated from pure white belly. Chin, throat, and upper chest are white. Ears are relatively large and rounded. Limbs are white, with four digits on forefoot and five digits on hindfoot. It has ten nipples.
Habitat. Tall tropical grasslands in savanna-forest mosaics, particularly those that are burned regularly.
Food and Feeding. Pousargues’s Fat Mouse is insectivorous, feeding predominantly on termites.
Breeding. Pousargues’s Fat Mouse breed during the wet season (June-December), and litter size is about three young.
Activity patterns. Pousargues’s Fat Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial. It excavates a complex burrow, typically in a termite mound or burrow of an Aardvark (Orycteropus afer). Individuals put on fat during the wet season, allowing them to reduce activity during the dry season when they enter torpor.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Nests of Pousargues’s Fat Mice are typically occupied by a single individual.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.
Bibliography. Genest-Villard (1979), Happold (2013k), Monadjem et al. (2015), Petter (1966¢), Petter & Genest (1970), Swanepoel & Schlitter (1978).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
