The mesic four-striped grass rat (Rhabdomys dilectus) is a smallish rodent of the family Muridae found throughout southern Africa. The genus Rhabdomys was traditionally treated as a single species, Rhabdomys pumilio, but karyotype and mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates a second species, R. dilectus, which is divided into subspecies ranging from Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Zimbabwe through Angola to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the south-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Malawi. It is rather larger than a house mouse, with a head and body of 90 to 135 mm, a tail of 80 to 135 mm and a weight of up to 68 g. The back is dark reddish-brown with black longitudinal stripes that gave the genus its name, meaning barred mouse, and the underside is lighter. It is a terrestrial, crepuscular and solitary animal living in wetter mountain savannas up to 2,300 m, and it feeds mainly on seeds with some plants, berries and small invertebrates. It often invades cultivated fields, enters houses in towns, and is considered a pest by farmers.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleAgricultural or Structural Pest 1 Living or Extinct Activity Pattern Connections
Child Taxon Of
Muridae, Taxa Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspecies, where it livesQuote, Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives
R.d.angolae (Wroughton, 1905): central and southern Angola;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)Quote, Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)
R.d.diminutus (Thomas, 1893): central and western Kenya, central-eastern Uganda, highlands of central-northern Tanzania, south-east Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Malawi;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)Quote, Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)
R.d.diminutus (Thomas, 1893): central and western Kenya, central-eastern Uganda, highlands of central-northern Tanzania, south-east Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Malawi;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspeciesQuote, Taxonomy, subspecies
R.d.dilectus (karyotypic form 2n = 46): Lesotho, South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, and eastern Zimbabwe;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)Quote, Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)
R.d.diminutus (Thomas, 1893): central and western Kenya, central-eastern Uganda, highlands of central-northern Tanzania, south-east Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Malawi;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspeciesQuote, Taxonomy, subspecies
R.d.dilectus (karyotypic form 2n = 46): Lesotho, South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, and eastern Zimbabwe;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)Quote, Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)
R.d.diminutus (Thomas, 1893): central and western Kenya, central-eastern Uganda, highlands of central-northern Tanzania, south-east Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Malawi;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)Quote, Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)
R.d.diminutus (Thomas, 1893): central and western Kenya, central-eastern Uganda, highlands of central-northern Tanzania, south-east Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Malawi;
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)Taxonomy, subspeciesQuote, Taxonomy, subspecies
R.d.dilectus (karyotypic form 2n = 46): Lesotho, South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, and eastern Zimbabwe;
Sources
1. Mesic four-striped grass rat (Wikipedia)
Lead
Rhabdomys dilectus, the mesic four-striped grass rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
Description
It is a terrestrial species, crepuscular and solitary.
Description, diet
It feeds mainly on seeds of wheat and partly on plants, berries and small invertebrates.
Description, relationship to people
It is considered a plague by farmers.
Taxonomy, subspecies
R.d.dilectus (karyotypic form 2n = 46): Lesotho, South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, and eastern Zimbabwe;
Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives
R.d.angolae (Wroughton, 1905): central and southern Angola;
Taxonomy, subspecies, where it lives (2)
R.d.diminutus (Thomas, 1893): central and western Kenya, central-eastern Uganda, highlands of central-northern Tanzania, south-east Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Malawi;
Child Taxon Of: Muridae, Lead, family
Rhabdomys dilectus, the mesic four-striped grass rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
In Biome: Savanna, Habitat
Rhabdomys dilectus lives in the wetter mountain savannas up to 2,300 meters above sea level.
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