433.

West African Rock Rat

Aethomys stannarius

French: Aethomys occidental / German: Westafrika-Buschlandratte / Spanish: Rata de roca de Africa occidental

Other common names: Tinfields Rock Rat, West African Aethomys, West African Veld Rat

Taxonomy. Epimys stannarius Thomas, 1913,

Kabwir, Bauchi Province, N Nigeria.

Aethomys stannarius was previously listed as a subspecies of A. hindei. Monotypic.

Distribution. N Nigeria, extending marginally into N Cameroon.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 126-169 mm, tail 124-203 mm, ear 20-24 mm, hindfoot 28-33 mm; weight 60-120 g. The West African Rock Rat, a medium-sized rat, has fur soft and medium-brown dorsally, grading to white ventrally. Ears are medium-sized and brown. Tail is relatively long (103-110% of head—body length) and scaled, brown above and paler below. Limbs are relatively short, foreand hindfeet dorsally bright yellowish-brown, with four digits on forefoot and five on hindfoot.

Habitat. Grassland, woodland savanna, bush, forest edges, and agricultural areas.

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.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Rosevear (1969).