Topo (robot) definition

diminutive topolino; feminine topa

Certain authorities including Umberto Eco, semiotician and author, insist that topo does not differentiate between mouse and rat.
Aiuto, un topo! - in this case with topo also rat could be meant and not only mouse—it only refers to the impression somebody has when a mouse or rat comes along, that is when somebody panics because of seeing the animal