Geographical distribution and morphometry of Heimyscus fumosus (Brosset et al., 1965)

Abstract

More than 35 years after its original description, our knowledge of the De Balsac's mouse (Heimyscus fumosus) remains poor, and few specimens are deposited in museums. We collected 239 specimens of this species in ten central African localities. We therefore had the opportunity to confirm its geographical distribution, which covers lowland forests between the Sanaga and the Oubangui-Congo rivers. Moreover, based upon specimens collected from a single locality, we analysed intra-populational morphological variations of the De Balsac's mouse. We showed that most external and cranial measurements increased with age; while sexual dimorphism was low.