Malacothrix typica (A. Smith 1834)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 930-955 : 942

Malacothrix typica (A. Smith 1834)

[Dendromus] typicus A. Smith 1834 , South African Quart. J., 2: 148.

Type Locality: South Africa, Eastern Cape Prov., Graaff Reinet Dist.

Vernacular Names: Large-eared African Desert Mouse.

Synonyms: Malacothrix damarensis Roberts 1932 ; Malacothrix egeria Thomas 1926 ; Malacothrix fryi Roberts 1917 ; Malacothrix harveyi Roberts 1951 ; Malacothrix kalaharicus Roberts 1932 ; Malacothrix molopensis Roberts 1933 .

Distribution: Eastern portion of Southern African Subregion in semidesert regions (mean annual rainfall = 150-500 mm) where sandy plains, short grassy velds, and karroid shrubs on hard substrates predominate; ranges in C and E South Africa (Eastern, Western and Northern Cape Provs., Free State, Northwest Prov.), S Botswana ( Smithers, 1971), most of Namibia, and extreme SW Angola ( Crawford-Cabral, 1998).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Reviewed by Skinner and Smithers (1990) and de Graaff (1997 aa). The species is now absent from KwaZulu-Natal in E South Africa but was present until about 60,000 years ago ( Avery, 1991). Closely related to the extinct M. makapani , early Pleistocene Swartkrans cave sediments in South Africa ( Avery, 1998).