554.

Setzer’s Mouse

Mus setzeri

French: Souris de Setzer / German: Setzer-Zwergmaus / Spanish: Raton de Setzer

Other common names: Setzer's Pygmy Mouse

Taxonomy. Mus setzeri Petter, 1978, 82 km west of Mohembo, Botswana.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. SE Angola, W Zambia, NE Namibia, and NW Botswana, with an isolated record from S Botswana.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 54 mm (mean), tail 31-48 mm, ear 13-14 mm, hindfoot 13-15 mm; weight 5-9 g. Small mouse with short tail. Fur is soft, pale buff or pale buffy orange above, slightly grizzled; pure white below, extending to the rump and muzzle. Tail is short (c.60% of head-body length), whitish. Ears pale brown, large and rounded, with postauricular white spot. Feet white with well-developed claws. Distinguished from the co-occurring Desert Pygmy Mouse ( M. indutus) by its larger ears, pale buffy and less grizzled dorsal fur, shortertail (60% vs. 80% of head-body length), and more extensive ventral white coloring.

Habitat. In Botswana, known from the fringes of pans and wetlands in semiarid areas. Recently found to be quite widespread in Miombo woodland in the mesic central highlands of southern Angola, where it was recorded from close to the sources of the Cuito and Cuanavale Rivers and from Cunde Falls.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Setzer’s Mice are nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Petter (1978), Skinner & Chimimba (2005), Smithers (1971), Vermeiren & Verheyen (1983).