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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Coucha Rat

Mastomys natalensis (A. Smith, 1834)

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.

Mastomys natalensis, aka the natal multimammate mouse

Mastomys natalensis, aka the natal multimammate mouse

Kelly, et al · CC BY 3.0 · Image source

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Open encyclopedia reference

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 multimammate rat is the natural host of the Lassa fever virus.

Wikipedia contributors, Natal multimammate mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:49:42.457978+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Mastomys natalensis (A. Smith, 1834)
Name authority
(A. Smith, 1834)
Common name
Coucha Rat
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Rodentia
Family
Muridae
Genus
Mastomys
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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
  9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
  10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
  11. orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
  12. suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
  13. superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
  14. familyMuridae Illiger, 1811
  15. subfamilyMurinae Illiger, 1811
  16. genusMastomys Thomas, 1915
  17. speciesMastomys natalensis (A. Smith, 1834)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Mastomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Reddish-white MastomysMastomys erythroleucus (Temminck, 1853)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Hubert's MastomysMastomys huberti (Wroughton, 1909)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Kollmannsperger's MastomysMastomys kollmannspergeri (F. Petter, 1957)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Shortridge's MastomysMastomys shortridgei (St. Leger, 1933)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Awash MastomysMastomys awashensis Lavrenchenko, Likhnova & Baskevich, 1998MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Southern African MastomysMastomys coucha (A. Smith, 1834)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Dwarf MastomysMastomys pernanus (Kershaw, 1921)MuridaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 672 records assigned to Muridae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Mus caffer A. Smith, 1834 A. Smith, 1834synonym
Mus hildebrandtii Peters, 1878 Peters, 1878synonym
Mus illovoensis Jentink, 1909 Jentink, 1909synonym
Mus microdon Peters, 1852 Peters, 1852synonym
Mus muscardinus Wagner, 1843 Wagner, 1843synonym
Mus tana True, 1893 True, 1893synonym
Mystromys longicaudatus Noack, 1887 Noack, 1887synonym
Epimys coucha neumanni Heller, 1912 Heller, 1912synonym
Mastomys coucha komatiensis Roberts, 1926 Roberts, 1926synonym
Mastomys coucha ovamboensis Roberts, 1926 Roberts, 1926synonym
Mus coucha zuluensis Thomas & Schwann, 1905 Thomas & Schwann, 1905synonym
Mus fumatus Peters, 1878 Peters, 1878synonym
Epimys concha ismailiae Heller, 1914 Heller, 1914synonym
Mastomys hildebrandtii (Peters, 1878) (Peters, 1878)synonym
Mus fusca Bocage, 1890 Bocage, 1890synonym
Mus ugandae de Winton, 1897 de Winton, 1897synonym
Myomys fumatus (Peters, 1878) (Peters, 1878)synonym
Epimys coucha durumae Heller, 1912 Heller, 1912synonym
Rattus coucha tinctus Heller, 1918 Heller, 1918synonym
Epimys panya Heller, 1910 Heller, 1910synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Africa

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.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=585321 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.

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:3YDJT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.