Muridae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
Author
Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
text
2017
2017-11-30
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II
536
884
book chapter
100954
10.5281/zenodo.6887260
a016af63-6437-427b-80b7-22bc9a002e20
978-84-16728-04-6
6887260
436.
Thomas’s Rock Rat
Aethomys thomasi
French:
Aethomys de Thomas
/
German:
Thomas-Buschlandratte
/
Spanish:
Rata de roca de Thomas
Other common names:
Thomas's Aethomys
,
Thomas's Veld Rat
Taxonomy.
Mus thomasi de Winton, 1897
,
Galanga, Angola.
Aethomys thomasi
was previously listed as a subspecies of A. kaiser. Monotypic.
Distribution.
Central Plateau of Angola.
Descriptive notes.
Head-body 140-162 mm, tail 112-135 mm, ear 20-25 mm, hindfoot 25-31 mm; weight 60-120 g. No specific data are available for body weight. A medium-sized rat, Thomas's Rock Rat has fur grizzled reddish brown dorsally and grayish white ventrally. Ears are rounded and reddish brown. Tail is relatively long (c.106% of head—body length) and scaled, covered with short stiff hairs, and uniformly brown. Limbs are short and stout, with four digits on forefoot and five digits on hindfoot.
Habitat.
Uncertain, but may be associated with termite mounds.
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.
Crawford-Cabral (1998, 1999), Happold (2013a), Hill & Carter (1941), Monadjem et al. (2015).