417.

Sudanian Grass Rat

Arvicanthis ansorgei

French: Rat-roussard dAnsorge / German: Ansorge-Grasratte / Spanish: Rata de hierba de Sudan

Other common names: Ansorge'’s Grass Rat, Sudanian Arvicanthis

Taxonomy. Arvicanthis ansorgei Thomas, 1910,

Gunnal, Guinea-Bissau.

Arvicanthis ansorgei was previously listed as a synonym of A. niloticus . It is best diagnosed by means of chromosomal complement: 2n = 62, FN = 74-76. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Africa from S Senegal and Guinea-Bissau E through S Mali to Burkina Faso.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 129-177 mm, tail 110-159 mm, ear 16-23 mm, hindfoot 27-34 mm; weight 68-180 g. A medium-sized rat with fur quite coarse and light brown with black and yellow flecks dorsally and whitish gray ventrally. Rump and base of the tail may have a pale red tint. Ears medium-sized, rounded, and reddish. Tail relatively short (c.90% of head-body length), darker above than below, and coarsely scaled with small bristles. Limbsrelatively short, and foreand hindfeet dark, with four digits on forefoot (first digit is absent;fifth digit is highly reduced butstill bears a claw) and five digits on hindfoot.

Habitat. Mesic Sudanian savannas and grasslands, as well as croplands and villages, but not entering houses.

Food and Feeding. The Sudanian Grass Rat is presumably herbivorous like other Arvicanthis .

Breeding. Averagelitter size is 5-4 young.

Activity patterns. Sudanian Grass Rats are diurnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Sudanian Grass Rat is possibly a gregarious species, living communally in nests.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Sicard et al. (2004).