Rhabdomys
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Rhabdomys Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Recent |
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| Rhabdomys pumilio | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: |
Rhabdomys Thomas, 1916 |
| Species | |
Rhabdomys dilectus
Rhabdomys pumilio
Rhabdomys is a largely Southern African genus of muroid rodents slightly larger than house mice. They are known variously as striped or four-striped mice or rats. Traditionally the genus has been seen as a single species, Rhabdomys pumilio, though modern evidence on the basis of karyotype and analysis suggests that it comprises two or more species and subspecies.Dorsally Rhabdomys species display four characteristic black longitudinal stripes on a paler background.
Dorsally Rhabdomys species display four black longitudinal stripes on a paler background, and accordingly authors sometimes describe it as having seven stripes. In any event Rhabdomys species as a group are unmistakable because no similarly sized Southern African rodents are similarly marked. Their stripes inspired the generic name, which is derived from the Greek rhabdos meaning rod; hence Rhabdomys, meaning something like "barred mouse".
Physically they are fairly typical smallish Murids, rather larger than house mice, and with more of a "Roman nose". Head+body length is about 105mm, and the same for the tail. A large male might have a mass of 55 grams.
Ignoring distinctions between species, Rhabdomys as a genus is widespread and abundant in the Southern African subregion. A few areas apparently do not support a population, but for the most part they occur rather patchily all the way from the southernmost Western Cape to northern Namibia and parts of Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. It also has been recorded from parts of Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and southern Congo.
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