Cricetomys cf. gambianus Waterhouse, 1840

Decher, Jan, Norris, Ryan W., Abedi-Lartey, Michael, Oppong, James, Hutterer, Rainer, Weinbrenner, Martin, Koch, Martin, Podsiadlowski, Lars & Kilpatrick, C. William, 2021, A survey of small mammals in the Volta Region of Ghana with comments on zoogeography and conservation, Zoosystema 43 (14), pp. 253-281 : 261-262

Cricetomys cf. gambianus Waterhouse, 1840

( Fig. 4 )

Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse, 1840: 2 .

COMMON NAME. — Northern Giant Pouched Rat; Ewe: Alegeli.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Shiare • 1 adult ♀; 24.VIII.2001; Tomahawk trap along Sabu creek ; SMF 91437 .

Apesokubi • 1 subadult ♀; Tomahawk trap; 28.VIII.2001; ZT- NHC 970.

REMARK

The zygomatic width of the Shiare specimen is 48.2% of occipito-nasal length, which is above the range of “ C. emini ”, following Genest-Villard (1967) (D. Kock pers. comm.), a species that is currently labeled Cricetomys sp. 1 from the region including our study area following the molecular and craniometric study by Olayemi et al. (2012). There is a specimen from the Volta Region at the USNM (USNM 436298, as. C. gambianus ), a female from Odomi Jongo (1 miles E Nkwanta), caught during the African Mammal Project in 1968.

CONSERVATION STATUS. — Cricetomys gambianus is listed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

Figures

FIG. 4. — Northern Giant Pouched Rat Cricetomys cf. gambianus Waterhouse, 1840 ♀ from Shiare (SMF 91437). Photo: M. Weinbrenner 2001.