Genus
Stenocephalemys
Description
Stenocephalemys Frick, 1914 - Ethiopian Rats
Stenocephalemys is a genus of medium- to large-sized rodents endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands. They have long wooly fur, which ranges in colour from sandy to reddish-brown on the back, with grey-to-white underneath. The genus includes both forest-dwelling and high-elevation species, varying in body size and tail length. They are similar in appearance to other soft-furred rodents (such as Mastomys, Chingawaemys or Praomys).
The six recognized species occupy different habitats in the Ethiopian Highlands. S. albipes and S. ruppi are mainly associated with montane forests at approximately 1,500–3,000 m, while S. albocaudatus, S. griseicauda, S. sokolovi and S. zimai inhabit higher-elevation moorlands and shrublands, reaching up to about 4,400 m. S. albipes has the broadest distribution and can be locally abundant in montane forests (Mizerovská et al., 2020).
The genus underwent a relatively recent rapid diversification, with its present species diversity developing during the Pleistocene (Mizerovská et al., 2020). Despite their morphological differences, some species remain closely related and show evidence of mitochondrial introgression. Mitochondrial DNA alone may therefore give misleading results when identifying species (Bryja et al., 2018b; Mizerovská et al., 2020).
Taxonomy
Stenocephalemys is a genus. It belongs to the Muridae family.There are 6 lower taxonomic units covered in this database.
