412.

Harrington's Rat

Desmomys harringtoni

French: Rat de Harrington / German: Harrington-Strohratte / Spanish: Rata de Harrington

Other common names: Harrington's Desmomys

Taxonomy. Pelomys harringtoni Thomas, 1902,

“Katschia, Kutai, W. Shoa [Province],” Ethiopia.

Genus Desmomys was previously included in Pelomys, which it superficially resem-bles, but it differs in several karyological, molecular, and dental characters, as well as in being semi-arboreal. D. harrington: is distinguished from D. yaldeni by having more robust dentition and slightly shorter tail. Monotypic.

Distribution. Widespread in Ethiopian highlands, particularly W of Rift Valley.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 128-144 mm, tail 122-135 mm, ear 17-18 mm, hindfoot 27-29 mm; weight 53-77 g. Fur of Harrington’s Rat is short, brown andblackflecked above, with paler buff flanks, and white oroff-white below. Tail is relatively short (95% of head-body length) and bicolored, dark above and pale below. Ears are small and rounded, and sparsely haired. Feet are ginger-colored dorsally, and there are four digits on forefoot and five on hindfoot.

Habitat. Bush and forest habitats at elevations between 1800 m and 2800 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Six young were found in a nest in December.

Activity patterns. Harrington’s Rat is nocturnal and partly arboreal, making nests of woven grass in bushes.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Bekele (1996a), Capanna et al. (1996), Happold (2013a), Lavrenchenko (2003), Lavrenchenko & Verheyen (2005), Monadjem et al. (2015), Yalden & Largen (1992), Yalden et al. (1976).