62.

Jackson's Fat Mouse

Steatomys jacksoni

French: Rat-adipeux de Jackson / German: Jackson-Fettmaus / Spanish: Ratén grueso de Jackson

Other common names: Jackson's African Fat Mouse

Taxonomy. Steatomys jackson: Hayman, 1936, Wenchi, Ashanti, Ghana.

Validity of S. jacksoni is not certain, and more specimens are needed to properly diagnose it. Specimens from Nigeria are significantly smaller than the type specimen and may have been misidentified. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known with certainty from W Ghana and also reported from two localities in W Nigeria.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c.120 mm, tail ¢.b0 mm, ear c.18 mm, hindfoot c.18 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Jackson’s Fat Mouse is small, with a noticeably short tail, darker above than below. Fur is soft and dark brown dorsally, clearly demarcated from pure white belly. Chin, throat, and upper chest white. Ears are relatively large and rounded. Limbs are white, with four digits on forefoot and five digits on hindfoot.

Specimens from Nigeria have twelve nipples.

Habitat. Apparently savanna. The type locality was open habitat on the edge of forest.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. At present, Jackson’s Fat Mouse is known from too few specimens at too few localities to be able to assess its conservation status.

Bibliography. Anadu (1979b), Happold (2013j), Monadjem et al. (2015), Rosevear (1969), Swanepoel & Schlitter (1978), Van der Straeten & Dieterlen (1992).