Lemniscomys linulus

473.

Senegal Striped Grass Mouse

Lemniscomys linulus

French: Rat-rayé du Sénégal / German: Senegal-Streifengrasmaus / Spanish: Ratén de hierba listado de Senegal

Other common names: Senegal Lemniscomys, Senegal One-striped Grass Mouse

Taxonomy. Arvicanthis linulus Thomas, 1910,

“Gamon, French Gambia [= Senegal].”

Lemniscomys linulus was previously treated as a subspecies of L. griselda, but was reinstated as a full species by E. Van der Straeten in 1980. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Africa W of the Dahomey Gap, including Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Ivory Coast.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 93-126 mm, tail 95-135 mm, ear 15-18 mm, hindfoot

23-28 mm; weight 37-41 g. The Senegal Striped Grass Mouse has fur buffy gray above, contrasting with pure white below, with clear black mid-dorsal stripe and many indistinct lateral stripes of very small pale spots. Tail is long (c.100-105% of head-body length), dark brown above, ocherous laterally, and buff below. Forefeet and hindfeet are buffcolored. Females have 2+2 = 4 pairs of nipples.

Habitat. Drier savanna habitats and agricultural land.

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 Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Bellier & Gautun (1967), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Van der Straeten (1980b).