Mastomys

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Rodentiaa
Subordo: Myomorpha
Superfamilia: Muroidea

Familia: Muridae
Subfamilia: Murinae
Tribus: Praomyini
Genus: Mastomys
Species (8): M. angolensis – M. awashensis – M. coucha – M. erythroleucus – M. huberti – M. kollmannspergeri – M. natalensis – M. shortridgei
Name

Mastomys Thomas, 1915: 477

Type species: Mus coucha Smith, 1834, by original designation.

References
Additional references

Nicolas, V., Mikula, O., Lavrenchenko, L.A., Šumbera, R., Bartáková, V., Bryjová, A., Meheretu, Y., Verheyen, E., Missoup, A.D., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.M. & Bryja, J. 2021. Phylogenomics of African radiation of Praomyini (Muridae: Murinae) rodents: First fully resolved phylogeny, evolutionary history and delimitation of extant genera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 163: 107263. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107263 Paywall Reference page.

Mastomys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Africa. It contains eight species:

Angolan multimammate mouse (M. angolensis)
Awash multimammate mouse or Awash mastomys (M. awashensis)
Southern multimammate mouse (M. coucha)
Guinea multimammate mouse (M. erythroleucus)
Hubert's multimammate mouse (M. huberti)
Verheyen's multimammate mouse (M. kollmannspergeri)
Natal multimammate mouse (M. natalensis)
Shortridge's multimammate mouse (M. shortridgei)

The multimammate mice (also called multimammate rats, African soft-furred rats, natal-rats or African common rats) are found in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Their head-body length is between 10 and 15 cm, their tail length is between 8 and 15 centimetres (3.1 and 5.9 in), and their weight varies between 20 and 80 grams (0.71 and 2.82 oz), depending on the species. Domesticated multimammate mice are heavier on average, weighing from 60 to 120 grams (2.1 to 4.2 oz).[2] Mastomys species are omnivorous, and can live up to four years.

Systematically, they were long placed in the genus Rattus (referred to as Rattus natalensis). Later they were placed in the genus Mus (referred to as Mus natalensis) and then they were placed in the genus Praomys. Today, molecular research has discovered that they are a genus of their own (Mastomys) and that they are closely related to Praomys. They are also more closely related to Mus than to Rattus. The dwarf multimammate mouse (Serengetimys pernanus) was formerly classified in this genus, but has now been moved to its own genus.[3]
References

Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
"Vielzitzenmäuse - Haltung, Pflege, Ernährung | Mäuseasyl". Archived from the original on 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2018-07-21.

Nicolas, Violaine; Mikula, Ondřej; Lavrenchenko, Leonid A.; Šumbera, Radim; Bartáková, Veronika; Bryjová, Anna; Meheretu, Yonas; Verheyen, Erik; Missoup, Alain Didier; Lemmon, Alan R.; Moriarty Lemmon, Emily (October 2021). "Phylogenomics of African radiation of Praomyini (Muridae: Murinae) rodents: First fully resolved phylogeny, evolutionary history and delimitation of extant genera". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 163: 107263. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107263. hdl:10067/1795280151162165141. ISSN 1095-9513. PMID 34273505.