539.

Hausa Mouse

Mus haussa

French: Souris des Haoussas / German: Hausa-Zwergmaus / Spanish: Ratén de los hausa

Other common names: Hausa Pygmy Mouse

Taxonomy. Leggada haussa Thomas & Hinton, 1920,

“Farniso, near Kano, North Nigeria (altitude 1,700 ft. [=518 m]).”

Considered part of the M. minutoides (“pygmy mouse”) species group. The smallest member of the genus in sub-Saharan Africa. Monotypic.

Distribution. Widespread throughout Sahelo-Sudanian savannas of W Africa from S Mauritania and Senegal E to Chad.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 41-58 mm, tail 31-44 mm, ear 8-10 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Hausa Mouse is a very small mouse with short tail. Fur is pale sandy above and pure white below, thetwo colors contrasting sharply. Tail is short (¢.75% of head-body length), scaly, naked and pale or whitish. Ears sandy gray, without postauricular white spots. Lips, throat and cheeks white. Forefeet and hindfeet white. Females have five pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement: 2n = 28-34, FN = 38.

Habitat. Semiarid grassland savanna.

Food and Feeding. Diet consists of insects and seeds.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Hausa Mice are nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Happold (1987 2013a), Monadjem etal. (2015).