575.

Gray-tailed Ethiopian Rat

Stenocephalemys griseicauda

French: Rat 4 queue grise / German: Grauschwanz-Hochlandratte / Spanish: Rata de Etiopia de cola gris

Other common names: Gray-tailed Narrow-headed Rat, Gray-tailed Stenocephalemys

Taxonomy. Stenocephalemys griseicauda Petter, 1972,

Dinsho, Bale Mountains, Ethiopia.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. W & E of the Rift Valley, Ethiopia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 130- 175 mm, tail 105-160 mm, ear 20-30 mm, hindfoot 25-33 mm; weight 70-136 g. Fur of the Gray-tailed Ethiopian Rat is sandybrown to dull brown above, paler on flanks, and grayish white below. Tail is long (¢.93% of head-body length), gray above and below and mostly naked. Eyes have faint dark rings. Ears are large, gray, and lightly furred. Hindfeet and forefeet are white. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 54 and FN = 54-58.

Habitat. Upland grasslands and scrub, extending marginally into moorlands,at elevations of 2400-3500 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Breedingis restricted to the wet season (May-December).

Activity patterns. The Gray-tailed Ethiopian Ratis presumably nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Lavrenchenko et al. (1997), Monadjem et al. (2015), Miller (1977), Petter (1972b), Rupp (1980), Yalden & Largen (1992).