Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse (Zelotomys hildegardeae) or Hildegarde's zelotomys[1] is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Central Africa.
This mouse was first described in 1902 by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas. The specific name "hildegardeae" was given in honour of the British anthropologist Hildegarde Beatrice Hinde, who spent twenty-four years in Africa with her husband Sidney Langford Hinde, a colonial administrator; she studied East African languages, writing several grammars and vocabularies.[3]
Descriptionedit
Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse grows to a head-and-body length of about 125 mm (5 in). The head is broad with pale grey to white cheeks and whitish chin and throat. The whiskers are dark and the ears are dark and nearly naked, with a scattering of pale hairs. The fur is dense and soft; the dorsal surface of the head and body is greyish-brown or grey and the underparts are whitish or pale greyish-brown, the two colours merging on the flanks. The limbs are whitish, the feet sometimes having pale brown upper surfaces. The tail is about 70% of the head-and-body length; it bears rings of small scales and is scantily haired, with short white or greyish-brown hairs. This mouse produces a strong, unpleasant odour which may deter predators.[4]
Distribution and habitatedit
This mouse is endemic to tropical Central Africa. Its range extends from Angola, northern Zambia and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, eastwards to Tanzania, and northwards to Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan. Individuals recorded in southern Angola were probably the closely related Woosnam's broad-headed mouse (Zelotomys woosnami). Its typical habitat is moist savanna, tall grassland and scrub, often at the edge of swamps or forests. It is often found in areas of Imperata cylindrica grassland.[4] In northern Malawi it has been recorded in pine plantations and in close proximity to human habitations. Its altitudinal range is unknown.[1]
Ecologyedit
This mouse is a partially diurnal[2] and nocturnal species, and in captivity, is active throughout the night. It forages on the ground under cover of the long grasses and foliage and feeds mainly on arthropods, such as grasshoppers and crickets, dung beetles, other insects and myriapods, with some fruit. It communicates with other individuals by making high-pitched whistles. Despite its strong smell, it is preyed on by small carnivores. In Kenya, pregnant females have been found in June and November, while in Uganda, they have been found in February, March, May, June and July. The litter size is usually between three and seven.[4]
Statusedit
Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse has a very wide range but is nowhere particularly common. No specific threats have been identified and the mouse is present in a number of protected areas, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]
Referencesedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zelotomys hildegardeae.
Wikispecies has information related to Zelotomys hildegardeae.
^ abMusser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Zelotomys hildegardeae". Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN0-8018-9304-6.
^ abcKingdon, Jonathan; Happold, David; Butynski, Thomas; Hoffmann, Michael; Happold, Meredith; Kalina, Jan (2013). Mammals of Africa. A&C Black. pp. 568–569. ISBN978-1-4081-8996-2.
April 13, 2024
hildegarde, broad, headed, mouse, zelotomys, hildegardeae, hildegarde, zelotomys, species, rodent, family, muridae, found, central, africa, conservation, statusleast, concern, iucn, scientific, classificationdomain, eukaryotakingdom, animaliaphylum, chordatacl. Hildegarde s broad headed mouse Zelotomys hildegardeae or Hildegarde s zelotomys 1 is a species of rodent in the family Muridae It is found in Central Africa Hildegarde s broad headed mouseConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder RodentiaFamily MuridaeGenus ZelotomysSpecies Z hildegardeaeBinomial nameZelotomys hildegardeae Thomas 1902 Synonyms 2 Zelotomys instans Thomas 1916Zelotomys kuvelaiensis St Leger 1936Zelotomys lillyana Bohmann 1950Zelotomys shortridgei Hinton 1920Zelotomys vinaceus Heller 1912 Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Ecology 5 Status 6 ReferencesTaxonomy editThis mouse was first described in 1902 by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas The specific name hildegardeae was given in honour of the British anthropologist Hildegarde Beatrice Hinde who spent twenty four years in Africa with her husband Sidney Langford Hinde a colonial administrator she studied East African languages writing several grammars and vocabularies 3 Description editHildegarde s broad headed mouse grows to a head and body length of about 125 mm 5 in The head is broad with pale grey to white cheeks and whitish chin and throat The whiskers are dark and the ears are dark and nearly naked with a scattering of pale hairs The fur is dense and soft the dorsal surface of the head and body is greyish brown or grey and the underparts are whitish or pale greyish brown the two colours merging on the flanks The limbs are whitish the feet sometimes having pale brown upper surfaces The tail is about 70 of the head and body length it bears rings of small scales and is scantily haired with short white or greyish brown hairs This mouse produces a strong unpleasant odour which may deter predators 4 Distribution and habitat editThis mouse is endemic to tropical Central Africa Its range extends from Angola northern Zambia and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo eastwards to Tanzania and northwards to Uganda Kenya and South Sudan Individuals recorded in southern Angola were probably the closely related Woosnam s broad headed mouse Zelotomys woosnami Its typical habitat is moist savanna tall grassland and scrub often at the edge of swamps or forests It is often found in areas of Imperata cylindrica grassland 4 In northern Malawi it has been recorded in pine plantations and in close proximity to human habitations Its altitudinal range is unknown 1 Ecology editThis mouse is a partially diurnal 2 and nocturnal species and in captivity is active throughout the night It forages on the ground under cover of the long grasses and foliage and feeds mainly on arthropods such as grasshoppers and crickets dung beetles other insects and myriapods with some fruit It communicates with other individuals by making high pitched whistles Despite its strong smell it is preyed on by small carnivores In Kenya pregnant females have been found in June and November while in Uganda they have been found in February March May June and July The litter size is usually between three and seven 4 Status editHildegarde s broad headed mouse has a very wide range but is nowhere particularly common No specific threats have been identified and the mouse is present in a number of protected areas so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern 1 References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zelotomys hildegardeae nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Zelotomys hildegardeae a b c d Cassola F 2016 Zelotomys hildegardeae IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 Retrieved 3 October 2019 old form url a b Musser G G Carleton M D 2005 Zelotomys hildegardeae Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference Johns Hopkins University Press Retrieved 4 October 2019 Beolens Bo Watkins Michael Grayson Michael 2009 The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press ISBN 0 8018 9304 6 a b c Kingdon Jonathan Happold David Butynski Thomas Hoffmann Michael Happold Meredith Kalina Jan 2013 Mammals of Africa A amp C Black pp 568 569 ISBN 978 1 4081 8996 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hildegarde 27s broad headed mouse amp oldid 1207396842, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
