NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Pousargues's African Fat Mouse
Steatomys opimus Pousargues, 1894
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
Pousargues's African fat mouse (Steatomys opimus) is an extant species of rodent indigenous to the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Given the distribution of the species throughout central Africa, the probability of a 'large population', and the security of its habitat, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises S. opimus as stable. Although the species is comparable in size to S. bocagei, the former exhibits an extra, abdominal pair of teats. In comparison to S. pratensis, S. opimus is significantly larger, while further comparison is necessary with S. jacksoni.
Wikipedia contributors, Pousargues African fat mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T13:00:20.354292+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Steatomys opimus Pousargues, 1894
- Name authority
- Pousargues, 1894
- Common name
- Pousargues's African Fat Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Nesomyidae
- Genus
- Steatomys
- 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
- genusSteatomys Peters, 1846
- speciesSteatomys opimus Pousargues, 1894
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Steatomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern African Fat MouseSteatomys caurinus Thomas, 1912 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dainty African Fat MouseSteatomys cuppedius Thomas & Hinton, 1920 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jackson's African Fat MouseSteatomys jacksoni Hayman, 1936 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kreb's African Fat MouseSteatomys krebsii Peters, 1852 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common African Fat MouseSteatomys pratensis Peters, 1846 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tiny African Fat MouseSteatomys parvus Rhoads, 1896 | NesomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bocage's African Fat MouseSteatomys bocagei Thomas, 1892 | 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=970576 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:4ZMT9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.