We compiled the first taxonomic inventory of rodents inhabiting the region from northwestern Guinea to coastal Guinea and this enabled an improved understanding of the rodent fauna of this unexplored region at the western margin of the guineo-congolese forest block. Through standard cytogenetic and morphological analyses we described the presence of two sibling species of the genus Mastomys in West Africa. We report here the first records for Guinea of Arvicanthis ansorgei and M. mattheyi. Our data indicated an extension of the known distribution of Lemniscomys striatus to include the western region of the range of Lophuromys cf. sikapusi. A comparison between southern Senegal, southern Mali, Ivory Coast and eastern Guinea assemblages shows some differences in the rodents between eastern and western Guinea as well as with the surrounding countries. It appears that coastal Guinea could correspond to a transition zone between forest and savanna but this region appears to be ecologically highly degraded in terms of its small mammal communities. Rattus rattus is found in all sampled localities but Mus musculus is restricted to one locality where it was the dominant species of the assemblage. Our study highlights the importance of surveys of rodent biodiversity in unexplored zones.
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