Beamys major, Dollman, 1914
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6600357 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6600269 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03993828-FFFE-0F5A-FFE6-FDBCCED1F842 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Beamys major |
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Greater Long-tailed Pouched Rat
French: Grand Rat-hamster / German: Grol 3e Hamsterratte / Spanish: Rata de abazones grande
Other common names: Greater Pouched Rat
Taxonomy. Beamys major Dollman, 1914 View in CoL ,
“ Mlanje , Nyasaland,” Malawi, south-east ern Africa .
Some authorities have considered it conspecific with B. hindei but it is morphologically distinct from that species and occupies a different habitat. Monotypic.
Distribution. N & E Zambia, Malawi, and NC Mozambique (Mt Mabu). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 136— 173 mm, tail 126-143 mm, ear 19-21 mm, hindfoot 21-25 mm; weight 95-102 g. The Greater Long-tailed Pouched Rat is medium-sized, with well-developed cheek pouches. Fur is soft and gray dorsally, shading to pure white ventrally. Chin, throat, and upper chest are white. Ears are relatively large. Tail is long and prehensile, with conspicuous white markings. Limbs are relatively short and white, with four digits on forefeet and five digits on hindfeet. Males are on average larger than females, with considerable overlap in measurements between sexes.
Habitat. Montane and riparian forests typically at elevations of 500-1000 m.
Food and Feeding. The Greater Long-tailed Pouched Rat mostly eats fruits and seeds that might be cached in burrows. Insects constitute a smaller proportion ofthe diet.
Breeding. Pregnant Greater Long-tailed Pouched Rats have been recorded during the rainy season in November-May. Average litter size is 4-6 young. Growth is rapid, with young reaching 43 g within the first four weeks. Gestation in captivity in the closely related Hinde’s Long-tailed Pouched Rat ( B. hindei ) is 22-23 days, and longevity is 3—4 years.
Activity patterns. The Greater Long-tailed Pouched Rat is nocturnal. It is mostly terrestrial but may also climb, using its prehensile tail to assist with negotiating thin branches.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Greater Long-tailed Pouched Rat is apparently solitary.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Although the Greater Long-tailed Pouched Rat is not currently under threat of extinction,it does occupy a rapidly disappearing habitat. Its future survival depends on continued protection of forests in north-eastern Zambia, Malawi, and central Mozambique.
Bibliography. Ansell (1978), Ansell & Dowsett (1988), Egoscue (1972), Fitzgibbon et al. (1995), Hanney & Mor ris (1962), Happold (2013e), Monadjem et al. (2015).
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.
