61.

Dainty Fat Mouse

Steatomys cuppedius

French: Rat-adipeux élégant / German: Zierliche Fettmaus / Spanish: Ratén grueso delicado

Other common names: Dainty African Fat Mouse

Taxonomy. Steatomys cuppedius Thomas & Hinton, 1920,

“ Farniso, near Kano, North Nigeria (altitude 1,700 ft. [= 518 m]).”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Senegal, Benin, N Nigeria, and S Niger.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 78-93 mm, tail 41-50 mm, ear 11-13 mm, hindfoot 15-16 mm; weight 14-24 g. The Dainty Fat Mouse is small, with a noticeably short, sparsely haired tail, darker above than below. Fur is soft and pale sandy-brown dorsally, clearly demarcated from pure white belly. Chin, throat, and upper chest are white. Ears are relatively large and rounded. Limbs are white, with four digits on forefoot and five digits on hindfoot. There are always eight nipples.

Habitat. Arid savanna.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Dainty Fat Mouse is terrestrial. Individuals rest in burrows during the day and accumulate fat during rains, becoming torpid during the dry season.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. At a few localities, the Dainty Fat Mouse has been trapped in relatively large numbers, but generally it is rare or absent within its overall distribution. Its presence in Senegal is only known from prey remains in owl pellets.

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

Bibliography. Decher (1997), Duplantier & Granjon (1992), Duplantier & Sicard (2013), Granjon & Duplantier (2009), Happold (1987), Monadjem et al. (2015), Swanepoel & Schlitter (1978), Van der Straeten & Dieterlen (1992).