Graphiurus johnstoni Thomas 1989
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Gliridae
Graphiurus
Graphiurus johnstoni

description: 6.
Johnston's African Dormouse
Graphiwrus johnstoni
French: Loir de Johnston / German: Johnston-Bilch / Spanish: Lirén de Johnston
Taxonomy. Graphiurus johnstoni Thomas, 1898,
Zomba, southern Malawi.
Placed in the subgenus Graphiurus. W. F. H. Ansell and R. J. Dowsett in 1988, Ansell in 1989, D. C. D. Happold and M. Happold in 1989, and M. E. Holden in 1993 synonymized G. johnston: under G. kelleni. Examination and comparisons of museum specimens (including all holotypes) and preliminary multivariate analyses by M. E. Holden in 2013 indicate that G. johnstoni is a valid species. Morphologically, it appears closely related to G. lorraineus and distinct from G. kelleni. In 2005 and 2013, Holden retained G. johnston: as a valid species, pending further revision of the genus. Few specimens exist that can be attributed to G. johnstoni with certainty. If future research indicates that G. johnston: and G. lorraineus are conspecific, the latter would be a junior synonym of G. johnstoni; this would substantially modify and enlarge the distribution of what is now considered G. johnstoni. Monotypic.
Distribution. S Malawi. Distributional limits are not known.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 69-84 mm,tail 65-75-5 mm, ear 11-12 mm, hindfoot 15-17 mm. No weight or sexual dimorphism reported. Dorsal pelage ofJohnston's African Dormouse is reddish brown, texture is soft but not piled, and fur is short (rump hairs 5-6 mm, guard hairs up to 8-9 mm). Ventral pelage ofis slate gray, moderately suffused with buff or cream; chin and chest area of two individuals had more orange color on chin and chest. Dorsal and ventral pelage colors are not clearly delineated. Head color matches that of dorsal pelage. Cheeks are gray or gray suffused with cream.
Eyes are large, and eye mask is inconspicuous, consisting of thin narrow dark brown rings encircling eyes. Ears are brown, short, and rounded; postauricular patches are either absent or inconspicuous. Hindfeet are cream, with dark metatarsal streak and somewhat long, ¢.22% of head-body length. Tail is long, ¢.92% of head-body length; tail color from base to tip generally matches that of dorsal pelage and is either uniform in color or may have sparse white hairs sporadically mixed in; tail tip is not conspicuously white. Hairs are shorter at base of tail, 2-3 mm, and longer at tip, up to 19 mm. Tail appears splayed because hairs project laterally. Skull is short and broad, with relatively short rostrum and moderately vaulted braincase. Greatest length of skull is 23-3-23-9 mm, zygomatic breadth is 13-6-14-1 mm, and upper tooth row length is 3-3-3-5 mm. External and cranial measurements based on specimens from southern Malawi. Chromosome number is not known. Females have four pairs of nipples (I pectoral + 1 abdominal + 2 inguinal = 8).
Habitat. Johnston's African Dormice occur at elevations up to 1500 m, within the World Wildlife Fund South Malawi Montane Forest-Grassland Mosaic ecoregion that forms part of the Afro-montane archipelago. They have been captured in the Shire Highlands, an area within this ecoregion characterized by submontane forests, miombo (Brachystegia, Fabaceae) woodlands, farmlands, tobacco fields, and secondary growth.
Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but Johnston’s African Dormouse is probably nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Johnston's African Dormouse is probably arboreal and solitary. It is rarely encountered, and few specimens exist in museums, suggesting densities are low in Malawi. An individual was captured in a farmhouse and another was captured in a house surrounded by ornamental gardens, indicating thatJohnston's African Dormice may opportunistically nest in human dwellings.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. There is a lack of data concerning geographical limits ofJohnston's African Dormouse,its natural history, and potential threats. An integrative systematic revision that incorporates molecular and morphological data comparingJohnston's African Dormouse with Lorraine’s African Dormouse (G. lorraineus) and Kellen’s African Dormouse (G. kelleni) is needed to better assess distributions, habitat associations, and conservation status. In 2015, World Wildlife Fund classified the South Malawi Montane Forest-Grassland Mosaic ecoregion in which Johnston's African Dormouse occurs as critical/endangered due loss of natural vegetation from agricultural activities, especially those associated with tea plantations, and forestry practices such as planting and managing large areas of pine and eucalyptus.
Bibliography. Ansell (1989), Ansell & Dowsett (1988), Happold & Happold (1989a, 1989b, 1997 1998), Holden (1993, 2005, 2013), Schlitter (2008a), White (1983), WWF (2015).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Gliridae, pp. 838-889 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 842-843, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6604339