A faunal survey in Kingu Pira (south Tanzania), with new karyotypes of several small mammals and the description of a new Murid species (Mammalia, Rodentia) Author Denys, Christiane Author Lalis, Aude Départment Systématique et Évolution, UMR 7205 CNRS-OSEB, case postale 51, 57 rue Cuvier, F- 75231 Paris cedex 05 (France) denys @ mnhn. fr lalis @ mnhn. fr denys@mnhn.fr Author Lecompte, Émilie Université Paul Sabatier, UMR 5174 CNRS-Évolution et Diversité Biologique, F- 31062 Toulouse cedex 4 (France) lecompt @ cict. fr lecompt@cict.fr Author Cornette, Raphaël Author Moulin, Sibyle Départment Systématique et Évolution, UMR 7205 CNRS-OSEB, case postale 51, 57 rue Cuvier, F- 75231 Paris cedex 05 (France) cornette @ mnhn. fr moulin @ mnhn. fr cornette@mnhn.fr Author Makundi, Rhodes H. Author Machang, Robert S. Author Volobouev, Vitaly Départment Systématique et Évolution, UMR 7205 CNRS-OSEB, case postale 51, 57 rue Cuvier, F- 75231 Paris cedex 05 (France) vitaly @ mnhn. fr vitaly@mnhn.fr Author Aniskine, Vladimir M. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr 33, 117071, Moskow (Russia) anivlad @ gmail. com text Zoosystema 2011 2011-03-31 33 1 5 47 http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/z2011n1a1 journal article 10.5252/z2011n1a1 1638-9387 4546753 Paraxerus flavovittis (Peters, 1852) Sciurus flavovittis Peter, 1852: 274 . One individual was trapped in Line G (open dry woodland). This individual exhibits the typical brown A FIG. 18. — Standard karyrotype of KP Rattus rattus Linnaeus, 1758 specimens: A , Š (MNHN-CG2007-1210); B , ş (CG2007-1209). The arrow indicates the supernumerary or B chromosom. yellow dorsal pelage and displays a white stripe on the flanks which identifies it as P. flavovittis Peters, 1852 rather than P.cepapi Smith, 1836 or P.ochraceus Huet, 1880 , which also live in the region. It is also different from the red-bellied coast squirrel P.palliatus Peters, 1852 , that is found in the coastal forests of Kenya , Tanzania and Mozambique . Kingdon (1974) described intermediate forms between Paraxerus cepapi , a typical squirrel of the southern savannas and miombo woodlands occurring between the Rufiji river and east of lake Malawi , and P. palliatus , which he interpreted as a hybridization zone between the two species. Similarly,he indicates that Paraxerus flavovittis is common in all habitats between Rufiji and Rovuma rivers, but very rare in the north of Tanzania and is not known in the south of Mozambique . TABLE 18. — Standard karyotype data for east and south African Gerbilliscus Thomas, 1897 species from the literature and this work. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.
Taxon/specimen 2n FNa Country Authors
G. leucogaster MNHN-CG2007 -1134 & 2007-1135 40 66 Tanzania This work
G. robustus Cretzschmar, 1826 36 68 Chad Granjon & Dobigny 2003
G. robustus 36 64 Kenya Qumsieyeh et al. 1987
G. robustus 36 68 Ethiopia Colangelo et al. 2005
G. gambiana (Thomas, 1910) 52 64 Senegal Matthey & Petter 1970
G. nigricaudus Peters, 1878 40 68 Kenya Qumsiyeh et al. 1987
G. nigricaudus 36 68 Tanzania Corti et al. 2005
G. leucogaster (Peters, 1852) 40 66 RSA Namibia Qumsiyeh 1986
G. leucogaster 40 66 Tanzania Colangelo et al. 2005
G. leucogaster 40-42 66 RSA Gordon & Rautenbach 1980
G. robustus ? 46 68 west Africa Matthey & Petter 1970
G. kempi Wroughton, 1906 36 66 CAR Matthey & Petter 1970
G. brantsii Smith, 1836 44 66? RSA Qumsiyeh 1986
G. vicinus (Peters, 1878) 36 68 Kenya, TZ Corti et al. 2005
G. afra Gray, 1830 44 66? RSA Qumsiyeh 1986
A comparison of external and skull dimensions shows that our specimen fits well with the Tanzanian P.flavovittis specimens and the latter species is smaller than P. palliatus and P. ochraceus . Paraxerus flavovittis has a longer tooth row than P. palliatus and rounder, larger tympanic bullae ( Table 19 ), but the size range of these two species are not well documented. The standard karyotype of P. flavovittis (2n = 38) consists in 19 pairs, which, except one pair of acrocentric autosomes, are bi-armed, thus giving FNa = 70 ( Fig. 21 ). To our knowledge, it is the first description of karyotype in the genus Paraxerus .