Petromyscus barbouri, Shortridge & Carter, 1938

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Nesomyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 156-203 : 193

32.

Barbour’s Pygmy Rock Mouse

Petromyscus barbouri

French: Petromysque de Barbour / German: BarbourZwergfelsenmaus / Spanish: Raton de roca enano de Barbour

Other common names: Barbour’'s Rock Mouse, Namaqua Pygmy Rock Mouse

Taxonomy. Petromyscus barbouri Shortridge & Carter, 1938 ,

“ Witwater (Kamiesberg), Little Namaqualand,” South Africa.

Formerly considered a subspecies ofP. collinus but can be readily distinguished by unique morphological traits. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to a narrow range in W South Africa.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 71-75 mm, tail 76-89 mm, ear 14-15 mm, hindfoot 17-19 mm; weight 14-16 g. Barbour’s Pygmy Rock Mouseis small, with a relatively long tail. Furis soft andsilky, grayish brown speckled with pale brown dorsally; venteris grayish. Hairs have dark gray bases. Ears are large and rounded. Tail is long, gray above and white below. Limbs are off-white, with four digits on forefeet andfive digits on hindfeet. It has four nipples.

Habitat. Rocky outcrops in arid environments with succulent vegetation.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Barbour’s Pygmy Rock Mouseis nocturnal andspecialized for climbing rocks.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Barbour’s Pygmy Rock Mouse occupies rocky habitat that is unlikely to becomethreatened in the near future.

Bibliography. Avery & Avery (2011), Coetzee (2013a), Denys et al. (1995), Jansa et al. (1999), Meester et al. (1986), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Petter (1967), Skinner & Chimimba (2005).

Figures

1. White-tailed Tree Rat (Brachytarsomys albicauda), 2. Hairy-tailed Tree Rat (Brachytarsomys villosus), 3. Sleek-furred Ground Rat (Gymnuromys robert), 4. Antsingy Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus antsingy), 5. Carleton’s Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus carletoni), 6. Daniel’s Tufted-tail Rat (Elurus daniels), 7. Ellerman’s Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus ellermani), 8. Grandidier’s Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus grandidieri), 9. Major's Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus majori), 10. Lesser Tufted-taill Rat (Elurus minor), 11. Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus myoxinus), 12. White-tailed Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus penicillatus), 13. Petter’s Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus petteri), 14. Tanala Tufted-taill Rat (Elwurus tanala), 15. Webb's Tufted-tail Rat (Eliurus webbi), 16. Anjozorobe Naked-tail Forest Mouse (Voalavo antsahabensis), 17. Northern Naked-tail Forest Mouse (Voalavo gymnocaudus), 18. Bastard’s Big-footed Mouse (Macrotarsomys bastardi), 19. Ankarafantsika Big-footed Mouse (Macrotarsomys ingens), 20. Petter’s Big-footed Mouse (Macrotarsomys peter), 21. Koopman' ’ s Forest Mouse (Monticolomys koopmani), 22. Giant Jumping Rat (Hypogeomys antimena), 23. Small Short-tailed Rat (Brachywromys betsileoensis), 24. Large Short-tailed Rat (Brachyuromys ramirohitra), 25. Audebert’s Forest Rat (Nesomys audeberti), 26. Lamberton’s Forest Rat (Nesomys lambertoni), 27. Red Forest Rat (Nesomys rufus), 28. Delany’s Swamp Mouse (Delanymys brooksi), 29. African White-tailed Rat (Mystromys albicaudatus), 30. Shortridge’s Pygmy Rock Mouse (Petromyscus shortridger), 31. Short-eared Pygmy Rock Mouse (Petromyscus monticularis), 32. Barbour’s Pygmy Rock Mouse (Petromyscus barbouri), 33. Common Pygmy Rock Mouse (Petromyscus collinus)

Distribution. Endemic to a narrow range in W South Africa.