Panya-vichaka

Panya-vichaka
Panya-vichaka wa nyika
Uainishaji wa kisayansi
Himaya: Animalia (Wanyama) Faila: Chordata (Wanyama wenye ugwe wa neva mgongoni) Ngeli: Mamalia (Wanyama wenye viwele wanaonyonyesha wadogo wao) Oda: Rodentia (Wanyama wagugunaji) Nusuoda: Myomorpha (Wanyama kama panya) Familia: Muridae (Wanyama walio na mnasaba na panya) Nusufamilia: Murinae (Wanyama wanaofanana na panya) Jenasi: Grammomys Thomas, 1915
Ngazi za chini
Spishi 15: G. aridulus Thomas & Hinton, 1923 G. brevirostris Kryštufek, 2008 G. buntingi (Thomas, 1911) G. caniceps Hutterer & Dieterlen, 1984 G. cometes )Thomas & Wroughton, 1908) G. dolichurus (Smuts, 1832) G. dryas (Thomas, 1907) G. gigas (Dollman, 1911) G. ibeanus (Osgood, 1910) G. kuru (Thomas & Wroughton, 1907) G. macmillani (Wroughton, 1907) G. minnae Hutterer & Dieterlen, 1984 G. poensis (Eisentraut, 1965) G. selousi Denys et al., 2011 G. surdaster (Thomas & Wroughton, 1908)

Panya-vichaka ni wanyama wagugunaji wa jenasi Grammomys katika nusufamilia Murinae ya familia Muridae ambao wanatokea Afrika kusini kwa Sahara katika misitu na nyika nyevu ambapo wanaishi mitini.

Maelezo

Panya-vichaka wana manyoya mafupi na magumu. Mgongo ni aina ya kahawia au kijivu zaidi, upande wa chini ni mweupe. Wana mkia mrefu wenye manyoya membamba na masikio makubwa yenye umbo la duaradufu. Miguu ya nyuma ni myembamba kiasi na kidole cha tano ni kifupi. Urefu wa mwili ni mm 80-140, urefu wa mkia mm 120-220 mm na uzito ni g 28-65.

Panya hao wanaishi mitini katika misitu minyevu na maeneo mengine yenye miti na/au vichaka. Hula matunda, mbegu, mizizi na vyakula vingine vya mimea, kama gome, na pengine wadudu. Hukiakia usiku.

Viota vyao vina ukubwa wa sm 15-30 na vimo kwenye miti kwa urefu wa m 0.5-2. Mimba huchukua kama siku 24 na mikumbo ya hadi wachanga 4 hutolewa.

Spishi

• Grammomys aridulus (Arid thicket rat)
• Grammomys brevirostris, Panya-vichaka wa Kenya (Kenya thicket rat) – Kenya
• Grammomys buntingi (Bunting's thicket rat)
• Grammomys caniceps, Panya-vichaka kichwa-kijivu (Grey-headed thicket rat)
• Grammomys cometes (Mozambique thicket rat)
• Grammomys dolichurus, Panya-vichaka wa nyika (Woodland thicket rat) – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania
• Grammomys dryas, Panya-vichaka milimani (Forest thicket rat) – Burundi, Uganda
• Grammomys gigas, Panya-vichaka mkubwa (Giant thicket rat) – Kenya
• Grammomys ibeanus, Panya-vichaka wa Ruwenzori (Ruwenzori thicket rat) – Uganda
• Grammomys kuru, Panya-vichaka msituni (Eastern rainforest thicket rat)
• Grammomys macmillani, Panya-vichaka wa Macmillan (Macmillan's thicket rat)
• Grammomys minnae (Ethiopian thicket rat)
• Grammomys poensis, Panya-vichaka magharibi (Shining thicket rat) – Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda
• Grammomys selousi, Panya-vichaka wa Selous (Selous thicket rat) – Tanzania
• Grammomys surdaster