NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mt Kahuzi African Climbing Mouse
Dendromus kahuziensis Dieterlen, 1969
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Mount Kahuzi climbing mouse (Dendromus kahuziensis) is a rodent found only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to illegal logging; it is also threatened by fire. Only two specimens have ever been found. Both were found within 100 m (330 ft) of each other on Mount Kahuzi. Its body length (excluding tail) is 50–100 mm (2.0–3.9 in) and its tail length is 65–132 mm (2.6–5.2 in). Its habitat is tropical forests, and to navigate these forests it may use its semi-prehensile tail to hold on to tree branches. Its markings are brownish on the top and white to yellow on its underside, with strongly dark rings around its eyes. As with other Dendromus species, it has three well defined toes.
Wikipedia contributors, Mount Kahuzi climbing mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T13:21:25.414711+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dendromus kahuziensis Dieterlen, 1969
- Name authority
- Dieterlen, 1969
- Common name
- Mt Kahuzi African Climbing Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Nesomyidae
- Genus
- Dendromus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyNesomyidae Forsyth Major, 1897
- subfamilyDendromurinae G. M. Allen, 1939
- genusDendromus A. Smith, 1829
- speciesDendromus kahuziensis Dieterlen, 1969
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dendromus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Montane African Climbing MouseDendromus insignis (Thomas, 1903) | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lovat's African Climbing MouseDendromus lovati (de Winton, 1900) | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray African Climbing MouseDendromus melanotis (A. Smith, 1834) | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chestnut African Climbing MouseDendromus mystacalis (Heuglin, 1863) | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kivu African Climbing MouseDendromus nyasae Thomas, 1916 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vernay's African Climbing MouseDendromus vernayi Hill & Carter, 1937 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brant's Climbing MouseDendromus mesomelas (Brants, 1827) | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Monard's African Climbing MouseDendromus leucostomus Monard, 1933 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Banana African Climbing MouseDendromus messorius (Thomas, 1903) | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cameroon African Climbing MouseDendromus oreas Osgood, 1936 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=632703 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:34QN3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.