599.

Reddish-white Multimammate Mouse

Mastomys erythroleucus

French: Mastomys roux-blanc / German: Guinea-Vielzitzenmaus / Spanish: Ratén multimamas blanquirojo

Other common names: Guinea Mastomys, Guinea Multimammate Mouse, Reddish-white Mastomys

Taxonomy. Mus erythroleucus Temminck, 1853, “Guiné [= Guineal.”

Four genetically determined groups of M. erythroleucus are present in this species complex. Monotypic.

Distribution. N savannas from Senegal E to C Ethiopia and S to Cameroon, Central African Republic, NE DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, N shores of Lake Victoria, and C Kenya, with an isolated population in WC Morocco.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 92-178 mm, tail 81-151 mm, ear 15-23 mm, hindfoot 20-27 mm; weight 32-107 g. Fur of the Reddish-white Multimammate Mouse is reddish brown above and creamy below, with ventral and dorsal colors reasonably delineated. Tail is long (¢.89% of head-body length) and scaly, dark above and paler below. Forefeet and hindfeet are whitish. Females have twelve pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38 and FN = 50-60.

Habitat. Grasslands, fields, disturbed areas around houses, and secondary forest.

Food and Feeding. The Reddish-white Multimammate Mouse is mainly granivorous, but insects and other plant parts are eaten. Increases in green vegetation in diets in early wet season coincide with start of reproduction.

Breeding. Breeding is seasonal, starting in wet season and extending well into dry season. Gestation is 21 days; litters have 1-21 young.

Activity patterns. The Reddish-white Multimammate Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Population outbreaks have occurred in Senegal, making them serious agricultural pests. Densities have increased from 1 ind/ha to more than 100 ind/ha.

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

Bibliography. Bekele & Leirs (1997), Duplantier & Granjon (1988), Duplantier et al. (1996), Happold (2013a), Hubert (1982), Hubert et al. (1981), Monadjem et al. (2015).