54.

Nyika African Climbing Mouse

Dendromus nyikae

French: Dendromus du Nyika / German: Nyika-Klettermaus / Spanish: Raton trepador africano de Nyika

Other common names: Nyika Climbing Mouse

Taxonomy. Dendromus nyikae Wroughton, 1909,

Nyika Plateau, Malawi.

Dendromus nyikae is closely related to D. melanotis, and the two species are placed in the subgenus Poemys by some authors. Monotypic.

Distribution. Angola E through S DR Congo and Zambia to Malawi, extreme SW Tanzania, and C Mozambique, and S to Zimbabwe and extreme NE South Africa; also recorded in the Eastern Arc Mts (West Usambara and Udzungwa).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 61-79 mm, tail 85-97 mm, ear 12-16 mm, hindfoot 17-20 mm; weight 10-14 g. The Nyika African Climbing Mouse is small, with a very long prehensile tail. Fur is relatively short, soft, and grayish-brown dorsally and white or offwhite ventrally. Base of each dorsal hairis dark gray. Mid-dorsalstripe extends from neck to base oftail, which can be indistinct. Ears are relatively large and rounded. Limbs are adapted for climbing. Second to fourth digits of forelimbs have elongated claws, and first and fifth digits are greatly reduced. Hindlimb has second to fourth digits elongated,fifth digit long and opposable with a flattened nail, and first digit greatly reduced.

Habitat. Various upland grasslands and savannas, particularly with tall grass, typically above elevations of 1000 m.

Food and Feeding. The Nyika African Climbing Mouse is omnivorous, eating green plant material, seeds, and insects.

Breeding. A single pregnant female was collected in November (beginning of the wet season) and had four embryos. Nests occur in underground burrows.

Activity patterns. The Nyika African Climbing Mouse is nocturnal. It is terrestrial but also climbs.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Nyika African Climbing Mouse can comprise 9% of the small mammal community in suitable montane grasslands.

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

Bibliography. Chitaukali et al. (2001), Crawford-Cabral (1998), Denys & Aniskine (2012), Hanney (1965), Happold (20139), Happold & Happold (1986, 1989a, 1989b), Monadjem et al. (2015), Solano et al. (2014), Stanley et al. (1998).