616.

Petter’s Soft-furred Mouse

Praomys petteri

French: Praomys de Petter / German: Petter-\ Weichhaarratte / Spanish: Raton de pelaje suave de Petter

Other common names: Petter’s Praomys

Taxonomy. Praomys petteri Van der Straeten, Lecompte & Denys, 2003,

Boukoko, Central African Republic.

Praomys petteri is in the P. tullbergi species group and distinguished based on molecular grounds from P. misonnei with which it co-occurs. Monotypic.

Distribution. C Africa from Sanaga River, Cameroon, E to Ubangi River, Central African Republic, and S to SW Republic of the Congo.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 99-143 mm, tail 100-165 mm, ear 15-22 mm, hindfoot 24-28 mm; weight 40-61 g. Fur

of Petter’s Soft-furred Mouse is dark to very dark brown above and whitish gray below. Tail is very long (115-125% of head-body length), dark brown above and below with irregular white spots. Females have three pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 42 and FNa = 62.

Habitat. Primary and secondary lowland forests, occasionally in and around villages, at elevations below ¢.500 m.

Food and Feeding. Petter’s Soft-furred Mouse is mainly insectivorous; stomachs contain mostly insects along with grains and fruits in dry season.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Petter’s Soft-furred Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Petter’s Soft-furred Mouse is not abundant, but its habitat is mostly intact. There are no major conservation threats.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Matthey (1965), Monadjem et al. (2015), Nicolas et al. (2005), Petter (1975b), Van der Straeten et al. (2003).