Zelotomys hildegardeae

626.

Hildegarde’s Broad-headed Mouse

Zelotomys hildegardeae

French: Zélotomys de Hildegarde / German: Hildegarde-Breitkopfratte / Spanish: Raton de cabeza ancha de Hildegarde

Other common names: Hildegarde's Zelotomys

Taxonomy. Mus hildegardeae Thomas, 1902,

“Machakos, 5400 feet [= 1646 m],” Kenya.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Angola and Zambia to E Africa, with isolated population in W Central African Republic.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 100- 122 mm, tail 80-103 mm, ear 16-17 mm, hindfoot 23-25 mm; weight 38-74 g. Hildegarde’s Broad-headed Mouse has a strong smell. Fur is soft and dense, gray or grayish brown above and pale gray to brownish gray below. Head is broad. Cheeks, chin, and throat are pale gray to white. Tail is moderately short (c¢.70% of head-body length) and white to graybrown. Ears are oval, darkly pigmented, and covered by sparse short whitish hairs. Hindfeet and forefeet are white. Females have five pairs of nipples. Incisors are proodont.

Habitat. Moist grassy tropical savanna and scrub, often on edge of swamps or forest, pine plantations, and near homes.

Food and Feeding. Hildegarde’s Broad-headed Mouse is mainly insectivorous.

Breeding. Litters have 3-7 young.

Activity patterns. Hildegarde’s Broad-headed Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Delany (1975), Happold (2013a), Kingdon (1974), Monadjem et al. (2015).