Malacothrix typica (A. Smith, 1834)
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https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6600357 |
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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6600341 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03993828-FFE6-0F42-FACD-F790C5EAF2EB |
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Felipe |
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scientific name |
Malacothrix typica |
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Long-eared Desert Mouse
Malacothrix typica View in CoL
French: Malacothrix a grandes oreilles / German: Afrikanische Langohrmaus / Spanish: Raton de desierto de orejas largas
Other common names: Gerbil Mouse, Large-eared African Desert Mouse, Long-eared Mouse
Taxonomy. Otomys typicus A. Smith, 1834 ,
Graaff Reinet District , Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Widely distributed in extreme SW Angola, Namibia, SW Botswana, and W & C South Africa. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 60-87 mm, tail 29-41 mm, ear 14-21 mm, hindfoot 15-20 mm; weight 15-23 g. The Longeared Desert Mouse 1s small, with a short tail. Fur is relatively long, soft, and grayish brown dorsally and grayish white ventrally. Base of each hair is dark gray. Three obvious dark stripes or patches are usually present on back. Ears relatively large and rounded. Limbs are short. Forelimb and hindlimb with four functional digits, with first digit greatly reduced.
Habitat. Various semiarid savanna and desert habitats, particularly where grass is short, soil is hard and compact and, rainfall is less than 550 mm.
Food and Feeding. The LLong-eared Desert Mouse feeds predominantly on green plant material but also eats seeds and insects.
Breeding. Pregnant LLong-eared Desert Mice have been recorded mostly during the warm rainy season in August-March. Litter sizes are 2-9 young. Gestation is 22-26 days. Neonates are c.1 gin weight and weaned after ¢.32 days. First litters occur at 34 months of age.
Activity patterns. The Long-eared Desert Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial. Activity in captivity peaks between 19:00 h and 04:00 h. It rests in a burrow thatis excavated in soil.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Long-eared Desert Mouse forages at least up to 100 m from its burrow.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.
Bibliography. Bosing et al. (2014), Happold (2013h), Jooste & Palmer (1982), Kamleret al. (2015), Keogh (1985), Kerley (1992a), Klare et al. (2014), Knight & Skinner (1981), Monadjem et al. (2015), Smithers (1971).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Malacothrix typica
| Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr 2017 |
Otomys typicus
| A. Smith 1834 |