Steatomys opimus Pousargues 1894

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 : 944

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.7316535
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/EA21EEDC-5D2F-CC7B-55B1-26358BFBB339
treatment provided by	Guido
scientific name	Steatomys opimus Pousargues 1894
status

Treatment

Steatomys opimus Pousargues 1894 , Bull. Soc. Zool. De France, 19: 131.

Type Locality: Central African Republic, near Balao, Dakoas Dist., 05º26'N., 17º40'E. GoogleMaps

Vernacular Names: Pousargues African Fat Mouse.

Synonyms: Steatomys gazellae Thomas and Hinton 1923 .

Distribution: Moist savanna and forest margins from Cameroon, through S Central African Repbulic and N Dem. Rep. Congo (Faradje and Niangara per AMNH specimens), to extreme SW Sudan.

Discussion: Closely similar to the large-bodied S. bocagei in body and cranial dimensions, but with five pairs of teats (abdominal pair in addition to the other four; AMNH specimens from Faradje and Niangara). Included in S. pratensis by Coatzee (1977 a), but opimus is much larger in body and cranial dimensions than samples from eastern and southern Africa. Hatt (1940 a) redescribed S. opimus as a species based on AMNH series, emphasized traits that distinguish it from other Steatomys , and explained that the holotype of gazellae is another example of it. Status of S. opimus with respect to the large-bodied West African S. jacksoni requires resolution.