Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
Author
Wilson, Don E.
Author
Reeder, DeeAnn
text
2005
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore
Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2
1189
1531
book chapter
0-8018-8221-4
10.5281/zenodo.7316535
Lemniscomys
Trouessart 1881
Lemniscomys
Trouessart 1881
,
Bull. Soc. Etudes Sci. Angers, 10: 124
.
Type Species:
Mus barbarus
Linnaeus 1766
Species and subspecies:
11 species:
Species
Lemniscomys barbarus
(
Linnaeus 1766
)
Species
Lemniscomys bellieri
Van der Straeten 1975
Species
Lemniscomys griselda
Thomas 1904
Species
Lemniscomys hoogstraali
Dieterlen 1991
Species
Lemniscomys linulus
Thomas 1910
Species
Lemniscomys macculus
Thomas and
Wroughton 1910
Species
Lemniscomys mittendorfi
Eisentraut 1968
Species
Lemniscomys rosalia
Thomas 1904
Species
Lemniscomys roseveari
Van der Straeten 1980
Species
Lemniscomys striatus
(
Linnaeus 1758
)
Species
Lemniscomys zebra
(Heuglin 1864)
Discussion:
Arvicanthis
Division. Morphological data clusters
Lemniscomys
with species of
Arvicanthis
,
Pelomys
,
Mylomys
, and
Rhabdomys
(
Musser, 1987
a
)
, which is corroborated by analysis of mitochondrial gene sequences (DNA cytochrome
b
, 12S and 16S rRNA gene fragments), and also includes
Desmomys
(
Ducroz et al., 2001
)
. The sequence data of Ducroz et al. also indicates that within this arvicanthine cluster,
Lemniscomys
is the only member of a lineage separate from that comprising
Desmomys
and
Rhabdomys
, and from another containing
Arvicanthis
,
Mylomys
, and
Pelomys
. Analysis of microcomplement fixation of albumin associates
Lemniscomys
with
Pelomys
,
Rhabdomys
,
Grammomys
, and
Thallomys
(
Watts and Baverstock, 1995
a
)
. Chromosomal data has been summarized for several species (
Fadda et al., 2001
b
;
Filippucci et al., 1986
;
Gautun et al., 1985
). Spermatozoal morphology documented for
L. striatus
and
L. zebra
(
Breed, 1995
a
; reported as
barbarus
) and
L. macculus
(
Baskevich and Lavrenchenko, 1995
)
. Evolutionary history of
Lemniscomys
can be traced back to late Pliocene of East Africa and the genus is represented in several Pleistocene and Holocene sites in East and
South Africa
(
Avery, 2000
; Denys, 1999).