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Cameroon Highland Striped Mouse

Hybomys badius

French: Hybomys du Cameroun / German: Kamerun-Streifenmaus / Spanish: Raton listado de Camerun

Other common names: Cameroon Highland Hybomys, Eisentraut’s Hybomys, Eisentraut’s Striped Mouse

Taxonomy. Hybomys badius Osgood, 1936,

south-west slope of Mt Cameroon, Cameroon.

Hybomys badius was previously considered to be a subspecies of H. univittatus . De-scribed form H. eisentrauti, from Lefo and Oku mountains in Cameroon, is currently considered a synonym. A recent molecular analysis showed that specimens collected close to the type locality of H. rufocanus are close to those of H. badius; the older

name rufocanus would prevail. Monotypic.

Distribution. SW Cameroon.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 105-137 mm, tail 108-121 mm, ear 15-18 mm, hindfoot 27-31 mm; weight 55-75 g. The Cameroon Highland Striped Mouse is mediumsized. It has a mid-dorsalstripe and relatively short (¢.85% of head-body length) finely scaled tail with short dark bristles. Fur is silky and shiny, dark reddish brown to dark brown with faint yellowish-brown flecks dorsally, shading to grayish brown ventrally. First and fifth digits are reduced. Females have three pairs of nipples.

Habitat. Forested habitats mostly at higher elevations, up to 2000 m.

Food and Feeding. One stomach contained 60% animal matter.

Breeding. Pregnant females have been observed in October—January and subadults in October and November.

Activity patterns. Cameroon Highland Striped Mice are strictly terrestrial, and active at night and by day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Cameroon Highland Striped Mice are very common on Mount Cameroon.

Bibliography. Eisentraut (1973), Happold (2013a), Missoup (2010), Monadjem etal. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005).