Acomys kempi Dollman 1911
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Muridae
Acomys
Acomys kempi
Acomys ngurui
Acomys ignitus
Acomys muzei

description: 15.
Kemp's Spiny Mouse
Acomys kempi
French: Acomys de Kemp / German: Kemp-Stachelmaus / Spanish: Raton espinoso de Kemp
Taxonomy. Acomys kempi Dollman, 1911,
N Guaso Nyiro, Chanler Falls, Kenya.
After describing it as a new species, G. Dollman found it to be related to A. ignitus with distinct morphological characteristics and finally included it as a subspecies of A. ignitus. Similarly, in the description of another new species from the same locality named A. pulchellus, Dollman in 1911 also found it to resemble A. kempu. This allowed N. Hollister in 1919 to put the latter in synonymy. G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005 concluded that A. ignitus montanus named by E. Heller in 1914 from Mount Marsabit, Kenya, was not a subspecies of A. ignitus but a synonym of A. kempi. After having been placed in A. cahirinus by H. W. Setzer in 1975, A. kempi was rehabilitated by L. L.. Janecek and colleagues in 1991, who found it clearly distinct from A. ignitus and A. cahirinus. Monotypic.
Distribution. S Ethiopia and Kenya, E of the Rift Valley; it may also occur in S Somalia and NE Tanzania.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 90-110 mm, tail 82-100 mm, ear 13-18 mm, hindfoot 15-16 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Pelage is orange-brown and its belly is pure white. Tail is ¢.94% of head-body length.
18.
Nguru Spiny Mouse
Acomys ngurui
French: Acomys des Nguru / German: Nguru-Stachelmaus / Spanish: Ratén espinoso de Nguru
Habitat. Rocky habitats in dry savannas, semi-deserts, and Somali-Masai bushland at elevations of 600-1800 m.
Other common names: Coastal Forest Spiny Mouse
Food and Feeding. Kemp’s Spiny Mouse might be insectivorous.
Taxonomy. Acomys ngurui W. N. Verheyen et al., 2011,
Breeding. Based on old observations, pregnant Kemp’s Spiny Mice have 1-2 embryos.
Nguru Ya Ndege, Tanzania.
Activity patterns. Kemp’s Spiny Mouse is terrestrial.
Acomys ngurui was recently described after molecular and morphometric revision of the A. spinosissimus complex. Acomys ngu- ruiz has considerablekaryological variabil- ity. C. Denys and colleagues in 2011 found 2n = 62, FNa = 78 in Kingu Pira (Selous Game Reserve entrance) and 2n = 59-61, FNa = 68 in Dakawa, east-central Tanzania. W. N. Verheyen and colleagues in 2011 found 2n = 59-60, FNa = 68 at the type locality and 2n = 60, FNa = 68 at other localities. R. Castiglia and F. Annesi in 2012 described sex chromosome polymorphism at an intraspecific level. Monotypic.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Kemp's Spiny Mouse occurs in various protected areas of East Africa.
Bibliography. Dollman (1911b, 1914), Dieterlen (2013f), Heller (1914), Hollister (1919), Janecek (1990), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Setzer (1975).
16.
Fiery Spiny Mouse
Acomys ignitus
French: Acomys de Dollman / German: Feuerrote Stachelmaus / Spanish: Ratén espinoso fogoso
Taxonomy. Acomys ignitus Dollman, 1910,
Voi, Kenya.
Distribution. Known only from Tanzania, E of Eastern Arc Mts; it may also occur in N Mozambique.
Some authors considered A. ignitus a subspecies of A. dimidiatus, but A. ignitus was recognized as a valid species in 1940 based on morphology; chromosomal and molecular aspects subsequently supported its distinct status. Three subspecies were recognized by J. R. Ellerman in 1941: ignitus, montanus, and pulchellus; the last two were transferred to A. kempi by G. G.Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005. Monotypic.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 73-104 mm, tail 62-90 mm, ear 11-16 mm, hindfoot 12-18 mm; weight 13-30 g. The Nguru Spiny Mouse is very similar to the Eastern Arc Spiny Mouse (A. muzei), but it has a relatively shorter (¢.84% of head-body lenght) tail.
Habitat. Various habitats including dry wooded savanna with scattered miombo (Brachystegia, Fabaceae) woodland and gully forest, frequently exposed to fire, up to elevation of 1100 m; fallow and cultivated land; and swamp close to cultivated fields. The Nguru Spiny Mouse was 2:3-4-2% of the total rodent population in cultivated fields and fallows in central Tanzania.
Food and Feeding. Like other species of Acomys, the Nguru Spiny Mouse is probably an opportunist feeder.
Distribution. E & S Kenya and NE Tanzania.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 92-114 mm, tail 70-85 mm, ear 14-5—-19 mm, hindfoot 13-19 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Fiery Spiny Mouse is the most colorful species of Acomys, with bright orange-red dorsal and flank pelage and pure white belly. Spiny hairs are found on head, shoulders, and back but are largest on rump. Tail is ¢.77% of head-body length. Chromsomal complementis 2n = 50 and FN = 66-68.
Habitat. Somali-Masai bushland, mainly rocky areas in dry savannas and semi-deserts, at elevations of 100-800 m.
Food and Feeding. The Fiery Spiny Mouse might be insectivorous.
Breeding. Litters of Fiery Spiny Mice have 1-2 young.
Activity patterns. The Fiery Spiny Mouse is terrestrial.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Fiery Spiny Mice occur in Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks.
Bibliography. Barome et al. (2000), Denys et al. (1994), Ellerman (1941), Matthey (1965), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Petter (1983), Setzer (1975), Verheyen et al. (2011).
17.
Muze Spiny Mouse
Acomys muzei
French: Acomys de Muze / German: Muze-Stachelmaus / Spanish: Raton espinoso oriental
Other common names: Eastern Arc Spiny Mouse
Taxonomy. Acomys muzei W. N. Verheyen et al., 2011,
“Muze, Tanzania.”
Acomys muzer was recently described molecularly and morphometrically and was sorted from the A. spinosissimus species complex. Monotypic.
Distribution. Known only from Tanzania, recorded from Lake Victoria S to hills close to Lake Rukwa and W Eastern Arc Mts.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 75-97 mm, tail 79-103 mm, ear 12-15 mm, hindfoot 15-17 mm; weight 14-24 g. The Muze Spiny Mouse has the same external morphological characteristics as the Southern African Spiny Mouse (A. spinosissimus) and can only be distinguished with detailed morphometric or molecular analysis. Tail length is equal to head-body length. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 58-62 and FN = 68-76.
Habitat. Woodlands and wooded grasslands, dry miombo (Brachystegia, Fabaceae) woodland with open canopy, and close to wetlands dominated by acacia (Acacia. Fabaceae), elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum, Poaceae), Typha (Typhaceae), and Cyperus (Cyperaceae). Associated areas, perhaps occupied by the Muze Spiny Mice, are also used for maize and paddy farming.
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Not yet assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Muze Spiny Mouse seems to have a relatively large distribution and can be found in numerous protected areas.
Bibliography. Verheyen et al. (2011).
Breeding. Nguru Spiny Mice are most abundant during the wet season (February-March) in Tanzania.
Activity patterns. No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Not yet assessed on The IUCN Red List. Presence and abundance of the Nguru Spiny Mouse in cultivated areas and the buffer zone of Selous Game Reserve suggest that a classification of Least Concern could be appropriate.
Bibliography. Castiglia & Annesi (2012), Denys et al. (2011), Makundi et al. (2010), Verheyen et al. (2011).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, pp. 536-884 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 603-604, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6887260