Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Subordo: Cynodontia
Infraordo: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Rodentia
Subordo: Myomorpha
Superfamilia: Muroidea
Familia: Muridae
Subfamilia: Murinae
Genus: Aethomys
Species: Aethomys chrysophilus
Name
Aethomys chrysophilus (de Winton, 1897)
Type locality: E Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Mazoe (see Chimimba, 1998:430).
Synonyms
Aethomys chrysophilus imago Thomas, 1927
Rattus (Aethomys) chrysophilus singidae Kershaw, 1923
Mus chrysophilus De Winton, 1897
Mus voi Osgood, 1910
Mus chrysophilus acticola Thomas & Wroughton, 1908
Mus chrysophilus alticola Lydekker, 1910
References
de Winton, W. E. 1897. On collections of rodents made by Mr. J. ffolliot Darling in Mashunaland and Mr. F. C. Selous in Matabeleland, with short field-notes by the collectors. Proceedings of Zoological Society of London, 1896: 801.
Thomas, O., and R. C. Wroughton, 1908. The Rudd exploration of S. Africa.—X. List of mammals collected by Mr. Grant near Tette, Zambesia. Proceedings of the General Meetings for Scientific Business of the Zoological Society of London, 1908: 547.
Osgood, W. H. 1910. Diagnoses of new East African mammals, including a new genus of Muridae. Field Museum of Natural History, Zoology Series, 10: 11.
Kershaw, P. S. 1923. On some small mammals from Tanganyika Territory. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 9, 12: 535.
Thomas, O. 1927. On the mammals of the Gobabis district, eastern Damaraland, South West Africa, obtained during Capt. Shortridge’s Fourth Percy Sladen and Kaffrarian Museum Expedition. Proceedings of Zoological Society of London, 1927: 387.
Linzey, A. V., and C. T. Chimimba, 2008. Aethomys chrysophilus, Mammalian Species, 808: 1–10.
Links
Aethomys chrysophilus in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
IUCN: Aethomys chrysophilus (de Winton, 1897) (Least Concern)
Aethomys chrysophilus (de Winton, 1897) – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Vernacular names
English: Red Rock Rat, Red Veld Aethomys
The red rock rat, or red veld rat, (Aethomys chrysophilus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae native to southern Africa.[2]
Description
The red rock rat is a rat-sized murine rodent. Adults have a head-body length of 12 to 17 cm (4.7 to 6.7 in), with a long, 13 to 20 cm (5.1 to 7.9 in), tail, and weigh from 40 to 114 g (1.4 to 4.0 oz). Males are not significantly larger than females. The fur on the upper body and flanks is mostly reddish-brown, but mixed with dark brown or black hairs, producing an overall colour that varies from orange-yellow or cinnamon to medium brown. The underparts are white or very pale grey, with a clear dividing line from the fur elsewhere on the body. The head is robust, with a heavy snout. Females have three pairs of teats.[3]
Although red rock rats can be distinguished from most other species of the genus Aethomys by their size or bodily proportions, they appear essentially identical to Tete veld rats, and can only be reliably distinguished from them by genetic analysis or examination of the shape of their spermatozoa.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Red rock rats are widely distributed across southern Africa, although the exact southern edge of their range is difficult to determine because of their extreme physical similarity to Tete veld rats, which are found in South Africa and Eswatini. Nonetheless, red rock rats are currently believed to live in east Africa from southern Kenya, through eastern Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe to the north-eastern border regions of South Africa. Further west, they are found through most of Zambia and Botswana to northern Namibia and south-western Angola.[1]
Across this region, red rock rats inhabit savannah or woodland areas with dense vegetation or rocky cover below 1,000 m (3,300 ft) elevation. They are often associated with miombo and mopane forest, but appear able to tolerate a wide range of habitats, so long as substantial ground cover is available.[4]
Although at least seven subspecies of red rock rats have been identified, the validity of some of these is questionable, not least because of potential confusion with Tete veld rats in earlier works.[3] Fossils indistinguishable from the modern species have been found which are dated as far back as 3.7 million years ago, in the late Pliocene of South Africa.[3]
Biology and behaviour
Red rock rats are nocturnal and omnivorous, but feed mainly on plant matter, such as seeds, fruit, green leaves, and starchy roots. They shelter through the day in cup-like nests constructed in burrows, rock crevices, or termite mounds. In the wild, they appear territorial, reacting aggressively to intruders of their own species, but they are apparently able to tolerate each other after some time in captivity, establishing a stable dominance hierarchy.[5]
Within any given area, red rock rats are usually present in relatively low numbers, but their population turns over rapidly, increasing rapidly during the wet season, with population densities reaching up to 6 per hectare (2.4/acre), then crashing to 0.2 per hectare (0.081/acre) or less in the hot, dry, season.[6]
In the wild, they breed during the rainy season, typically between October and January, although they are capable of breeding at any time of year in captivity.[3][6] Gestation lasts 29 days, and results in the birth of between one and five, but typically three, young. The young are initially blind and helpless, with thin black fur over most of the body, and naked undersides. The teeth are already erupted at birth, and the eyes open after 10 to 14 days. Newborn young weigh only around 5 g (0.18 oz), and measure 4 cm (1.6 in) in head-body length, but they grow rapidly, being weaned between 24 and 33 days, by which time they have already attained the adult coat and general appearance.[3]
The young attain the full adult dimensions at around seven weeks, although they may still be somewhat lighter than fully grown adults at this point. They reach sexual maturity at around 82 days, but may not give birth to their first litter for up to six months.[3][7]
References
Agwanda, B.; Corti, M. & Taylor, P.J. (2008). "Aethomys chrysophilus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1255. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
Linzey, A.V. & Chimimba, C.T. (2008). "Aethomys chrysophilus (Rodentia: Muridae)". Mammalian Species. 808: 1–10. doi:10.1644/808.1.
Linzey, A.V. & Kesner, M.H. (1997). "Small mammals of a woodland–savanna ecosystem in Zimbabwe. I. Density and habitat occupancy patterns". Journal of Zoology. 243 (1): 137–152. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1997.tb05760.x.[dead link]
Choate, T.S. (1972). "Behavioural studies on some Rhodesian rodents". Zoologica Africana. 7 (1): 103–118. doi:10.1080/00445096.1972.11447433.
Happold, D.C.D. & Happold, M. (1990). "An ecological study of small rodents in the woodland savanna of Liwonde National Park, Malawi". Journal of Zoology. 221 (2): 219–235. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1990.tb03993.x.
Brooks, P.M. (1972). "Post-natal development of the African bush rat". Zoologica Africana. 7 (1): 85–102. doi:10.1080/00445096.1972.11447432. Archived from the original on 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
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