''Arvicanthis'' is a genus of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. They are commonly referred to as unstriped grass mice, unstriped grass rats, and kusu rats.
Species
Genus ''Arvicanthis'' - unstriped grass mice
*
Abyssinian grass rat
The Abyssinian grass rat (''Arvicanthis abyssinicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Ethiopia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, arable land
Arable land (from the la, ar ...
, ''Arvicanthis abyssinicus''
Rüppell, 1842
*
Sudanian grass rat, ''Arvicanthis ansorgei''
Thomas, 1910
*
Blick's grass rat
Blick's grass rat (''Arvicanthis blicki'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in Ethiopia.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
It is threatened by habitat loss
Habitat destruc ...
, ''Arvicanthis blicki''
Frick, 1914
*
Nairobi grass rat, ''Arvicanthis nairobae''
J. A. Allen, 1909
*
Neumann's grass rat
Neumann's grass rat (''Arvicanthis neumanni'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and possibly Kenya.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland
...
, ''Arvicanthis neumanni''
Matschie, 1894
*
African grass rat
The Nile rat (''Arvicanthis niloticus'') is a species of rodent in the family Murinae.
Taxonomy
The species is divided into the following six subspecies.
*''A. n. niloticus'': Nile, Egypt;
*''A. n. dembeensis '' (): Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea; Tan ...
, ''Arvicanthis niloticus''
É. Geoffroy, 1803
*
Guinean grass rat
The Guinean grass rat (''Arvicanthis rufinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found in Benin, Ghana, Togo, possibly Cameroon, possibly Central African Republic, possibly Ivory Coast, possibly Guinea, possibly Liberia, and ...
, ''Arvicanthis rufinus''
Temminck, 1853
Genetic evidence indicates that the extinct ''
Canariomys
''Canariomys'' is an extinct genus of rodents (Old World rats and mice) that once existed on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, part of the Canary Islands, Spain. These giant rats could reach a weight of about . They were herbivores; their ...
'' is also nested within this genus.
References
*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
Rodent genera
Taxa named by René Lesson
{{Murinae-stub