6.

Seurat’s Spiny Mouse

Acomys seurati

French: Acomys de Seurat / German: Seurat-Stachelmaus / Spanish: Ratén espinoso de Seurat

Taxonomy. Acomys seurati Heim de Balsac, 1936,

A’hagger (= Hoggar Mountains), Iniker, S Algeria.

Acomys seurati 1s sometimes considered a synonym of A. cahirinus, but their karyotypes and dental morphologies differ.

Monotypic.

Distribution. Mouydir, Tassili, and Hoggar Mts in Sahara Desert, S Algeria.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 87-99 mm, tail 105-125 mm, ear 17-5-21-5 mm, hindfoot 17-20 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38, FN = 68.

Habitat. Rocky areas in desert of southern Algeria at elevations of 1000-2000 m. Seurat’s Spiny Mice rest in crevices or under rocks.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Seurat’s Spiny Mouse is nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Denys et al. (1994), Kowalski & Rzebik-Kowalska (1991), Matthey & Baccar (1967), Musser & Carleton (2005).