Arvicanthis niloticus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	MURIDAE

Scientific Name:

Arvicanthis niloticus

Species Authority:

(É. Geoffroy, 1803)

Common Name/s:

English

–

African Grass Rat

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Date Assessed:

2008-06-30

Assessor/s:

Granjon, L.

Reviewer/s:

Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Temple, H. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

History:

2004

–

Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The species is mostly a sub-Saharan species although it occurs in the Arabian Peninsula, where it may have been introduced by man, and has been recorded across the Sahara, but it is mostly extinct there. This species is widespread in savannas in Africa, found from Senegal across the Sahel to Sudan and Ethiopia, from here it ranges southwards to Uganda and central Kenya. Its presence in central Tanzania and Zambia is uncertain. The species is found along the Nile Valley where its distribution is restricted to a narrow strip of flooded plain. It has additionally been recorded from at least three isolated Saharan mountain ranges. In Ethiopia it is not found above 1,600 m asl.
Countries:	Native: Burkina Faso; Burundi; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Kenya; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Sudan; Uganda; Yemen
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is very common. It is considered a pest species where it occurs in Egypt.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species favours grasslands, savanna, and shrublands. It is highly commensal species that is very common close to villages and other modified areas.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are no major threats to this species.

Major Threat(s):

There are no major threats to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There are no conservation measures in place; it is not known if the species is present in any protected areas. Further studies are needed into the taxonomy, distribution, abundance, reproduction and ecology of this species.

Conservation Actions:

There are no conservation measures in place; it is not known if the species is present in any protected areas. Further studies are needed into the taxonomy, distribution, abundance, reproduction and ecology of this species.

Citation:	Granjon, L. 2008. Arvicanthis niloticus. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 12 December 2013.
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