501.

Sundevall’s Thallomys

Thallomys paedulcus

French: Thallomys de Sundevall / German: Sundevall-Akazienratte / Spanish: Rata de acacias de Sundevall

Other common names: Acacia Rat, Acacia Thallomys

Taxonomy. Mus paedulcus Sundevall, 1846,

“in Caffraria interiore, Sydafrika [= South Africa].” Fixed by D. H. S. Davis in 1965 to “Crocodile Drift, Brits, Transvaal [= Northwest Province,” South Africa.

Thallomys paedulcus is poorly diagnosed, and exhibits some morphometric overlap with 7. nigricauda . Monotypic.

Distribution. Patchily distributed from S Ethiopia and S Somalia S through E Africa to NE Namibia, Botswana, and NE South

Africa.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 131 mm, tail 120-184 mm, ear 16-24 mm, hindfoot 20-28 mm; weight 32-116 g. Medium-sized to large arboreal rodent with verylong tail, Sundevall’s Thallomys has fur yellowish gray, pale rufous, cinnamon, or pale brown above, gray on flanks, sharply delineated from pure white belly, chin, and throat. Black facial mask is less distinct than in 7. nigricauda, extending from nose to around eyes and sometimes faintly to ear. Ears conspicuous, rounded, pigmented, covered with sparse buff hairs. Feet colored whitish above. Tail is long (c.120% of head-body length), scaly, brownish black, and covered with small bristles. Females have 0+2 = 2 pairs, 0+3 = 3 pairs, or 1+2 = 3 pairs of nipples. Karyotype 2n = 43-46.

Habitat. Savanna woodlands associated with acacias ( Acacia, Fabaceae).

Food and Feeding. Sundevall’s Thallomys forages in branches of shrubs and trees, feeding mainly on new leaflets, twigs, and occasionally flowers and green outer coating of pods of acacia trees, as well as on berries of Ziziphus mucronata (Rhamnaceae) .

Breeding. In southern Africa, pregnancies were recorded during warm, wet summer season. In captivity, mean litter size was around three.

Activity patterns. Sundevall’s Thallomys is nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Sundevall’s Thallomys makes nests In acacia trees.

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

Bibliography. Davis (1965), De Graaff (1981), Gordon (1987), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Skinner & Chimimba (2005), Smithers & Wilson (1979), Taylor et al. (1995).