Pousargues African Fat Mouse
Steatomys opimus Pousargues, 1894
Also calledPousargues-Fettmaus (deu) · Rat-adipeux de Pousargues (fra) · Souris adipeux de Pousargues (fra) · tłustoszka dziesięciosutkowa (pol) · プウサルグカミンマウス (jpn)
First described in: Bull. Soc. Zool. De France vol.19 p.131
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
discussion
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.
Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae
distribution
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.
Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae
materials_examined
Type Locality: Central African Republic, near Balao, Dakoas Dist., 05 º 26 ' N., 17 º 40 ' E.
Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae
activity
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.
Nesomyidae
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Steatomys opimus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 4263426.