The ecology of the multimammate mouse (praomys natalensis) and the spotted mouse (lemniscomys striatus) in eastern Ghana
1982
Yedoah, S., Department of Zoology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
The population and reproductive biology of two rodent pests: Praomys natalensis and Lemniscomys striatus, were studied on a farmland in Eastern Ghana. Both species showed seasonal fluctuations in population sizes as a result of the effects of seasonal changes in rainfall, food availability and migration. Survival rate estimates were lowest during the major rainy season. Breeding was possible throughout the year with peaks towards the end of the rainy season. For Praomys natalensis the number of embryos in the uteri of females ranged from 7 to 14 with a means of9.4 ± 1.5 (S.E.); the equivalent figures for Lemniscomys striatus were 1. 10 and 5.3 ± 2.1 (S. E.) respectively. Females of both species were capable of producing 2-3 litters in a year; postpartum oestrus was also observed (4.9% of the females ·of P.natalensis and 4.8% in L. striatus). Breeding in males was continuous throughout the year without any clear seasonality. Some eradication' measures against these two rodent species have been suggested.
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