Mastomys, Thomas, 1915

Denys, Christiane, Missoup, Alain Didier, Nicolas, Violaine, Fülling, Olaf, Delapré, Arnaud, Bilong, Charles Felix Bilong, Taylor, Peter John J. & Hutterer, Rainer, 2014, African highlands as mammal diversity hotspots: new records of Lamottemys okuensis Petter, 1986 (Rodentia: Muridae) and other endemic rodents from Mt Oku, Cameroon, Zoosystema 36 (3), pp. 647-690 : 669

Mastomys sp.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — MNHN: 2013-82.

ZMFK: 91.254, 91.255, 2003-905 to 2003-908.

Morphological characters

The genus Mastomys is widespread all over tropical Africa and prefers anthropogenic habitats. In Cameroon M.natalensis Smith, 1834 is known from several CVL villages, like Nyassoso ( Denys et al. 2009) or Mt Lefo ( Eisentraut 1973). Three species of Mastomys , M. natalensis , M. erythroleucus Temminck, 1853 and M. kollmanspergeri Petter, 1957 , were reported in Northern Cameroon ( Dobigny et al. 2011). In Oku, two young adult females were collected by Fülling (1992) from fallow land at 2210 and 2240 m. Their relatively large weight and size, relatively short tail and the contrast between dark brown upper and grey lower part may allow to attribute them to M. kollmanspergeri ( Dobigny et al. 2008) ( Table 6). The species was recently found in northern Cameroon and its southern limits, as well as its morphological variability are not yet known for this country. However, without a molecular study we cannot confirm this identification.We collected one damaged specimen of this species during our fieldwork and it seems to have a smaller size compared to M. erythroleucus and M. kollmanspergeri specimens (HF = 22 mm and TL = 98 mm).