''Mastomys'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...

endemic to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It contains eight species: *

Angolan multimammate mouse The Angolan multimammate mouse (''Mastomys angolensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was formerly classified in the genus ''Myomyscus'' but has been reclassified int ...

(''M. angolensis'') * Awash multimammate mouse or Awash mastomys (''M. awashensis'') *

Southern multimammate mouse The southern multimammate mouse or southern African mastomys (''Mastomys coucha'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae which is endemic to southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe). It i ...

(''M. coucha'') *

Guinea multimammate mouse The Guinea multimammate mouse (''Mastomys erythroleucus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the ...

(''M. erythroleucus'') * Hubert's multimammate mouse (''M. huberti'') *

Verheyen's multimammate mouse Verheyen's multimammate mouse (''Mastomys kollmannspergeri'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, intermittent rivers, intermittent freshwater lakes ...

(''M. kollmannspergeri'') *

Natal multimammate mouse The Natal multimammate mouse (''Mastomys natalensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is also known as the Natal multimammate rat, the common African rat, African soft fur rat or the African soft-furred mouse. The Natal multimam ...

(''M. natalensis'') * Shortridge's multimammate mouse (''M. shortridgei'') The multimammate mice (also called multimammate rats, African soft-furred rats, natal-rats or African common rats) are found in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Their head-body length is between 10 and 15 cm, their tail length is between , and their weight varies between , depending on the species. Domesticated multimammate mice are heavier on average, weighing from . ''Mastomys'' species are omnivorous, and can live up to four years. Systematically, they were long placed in the genus ''Rattus'' (referred to as ''Rattus natalensis''). Later they were placed in the genus ''Mus ''(referred to as ''Mus natalensis'') and then they were placed in the genus ''

Praomys ''Praomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern A ...

''. Today, molecular research has discovered that they are a genus of their own (''Mastomys'') and that they are closely related to ''Praomys''. They are also more closely related to Mus than to Rattus. The dwarf multimammate mouse (''Serengetimys pernanus'') was formerly classified in this genus, but has now been moved to its own genus.

References

Further reading