Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse 1840

Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse 1840, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1840: 2.

Type Locality: Gambia, Gambia River.

Vernacular Names: Northern Giant Pouched Rat.

Synonyms: Cricetomys buchanani Thomas and Hinton 1921; Cricetomys dichrurus Osgood 1910; Cricetomys gambiensis Temminck 1853; Cricetomys goliath (Ruppell 1842); Cricetomys grahami Hinton 1919; Cricetomys langi Hatt 1934; Cricetomys oliviae Dollman 1911; Cricetomys servorum Hinton 1919 .

Distribution: Subsaharan savanna belt (Sudan and Guinea) and forest edges, from Gambia and Senegal eastwards to NE Dem. Rep. Congo, S Sudan, and N Uganda.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: The range outlined here basically corresponds to Hinton’s (1919 b) grouping of relatively small-bodied Cricetomys with gray, moderately long and hispid pelage. Morphological, behavioral, and ecological contrasts between C. gambianus proper and C. emini elucidated by Genest-Villard (1967) and Rosevear (1969).