Furrow-tooth brook rats
| Furrow-tooth brook rats | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pelomys | ||||||||||||
| Peters , 1852 |
The furrow-tooth brook rats ( Pelomys ) are a genus of rodents from the group of old world mice (Murinae). The genus includes five species.
Furrow-tooth brook rats reach a head body length of 10 to 21 centimeters, plus a 10 to 18 centimeter long tail. The weight varies between 50 and 170 grams. The fur is rough, it is colored yellow-gray to dark gray on the upper side, often with a greenish iridescent tinge. The underside is whitish to light gray. The nose is often lighter than the face and the ears are covered with sparse red hair. The upper incisor teeth are grooved.
These rodents live in central Africa , their range extends from Uganda through the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Angola and Mozambique . They live in swamps and wet grasslands, often along streams and rivers. Depending on the species, they can be active during the day or at night; to rest they retreat into self-made leaf nests or in earthworks. Their diet consists of grasses and aquatic plants.
There are five types:
- Pelomys campanae lives in the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in western Angola.
- Pelomys fallax is distributed from Kenya to Angola and Mozambique.
- Pelomys hopkinsi lives in southwestern Uganda, southwestern Kenya and Rwanda.
- Pelomys isseli is endemic to the islands of Kome, Bugala, and Bunyama in Lake Victoria.
- Pelomys minor lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in eastern Angola.
The IUCN lists two species, P. hopkinsi and D. isseli under “too little data available” ( data deficient ), the other three species are common and not endangered.
The furrow-tooth brook rats are systematically classified within the Old World mice in the Arvicanthis group .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .