376.

Sand-colored Soft-furred Rat

Millardia gleadowi

French: Rat de Gleadow / German: Sandfarbene Weichfellratte / Spanish: Rata de pelaje suave de color de arena

Other common names: Sand-colored Metad

Taxonomy. Mus gleadowi: Murray, 1886,

Karachi, Clifton Plain, Pakistan .

Originally placed in Mus; separated in monotypic Grypomys by O.Thomas in 1911, but then removed to Millardia by J. R. Ellerman in 1941. Its karyotypeis distinct from that of M. meltada; however, no molecular data are available to confirm the validity of the species orits inclusion in Millardia . Monotypic.

Distribution. Pakistan and NW India (Rajasthan and Gujaratstates).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 77-97 mm, tail 67-93 mm, ear 18-21 mm, hindfoot 18-20 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Sand-colored Softfurred Rat is a small, soft-furred rat with a tail of about the same length orslightly smaller than the body length. Tail is bicolored. Dorsal pelage is sandy brown, ventral white. Skull is small but the tympanic bullae are well inflated and they represent about 20% of its greatest length. Females bear three pairs of mammae. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 40, FN = 47.

Habitat. Semi-desert areas, and dry, sandy and rocky areas (shifting sand dunes, clay flats, cliffs) far from irrigated fields.

Food and Feeding. Diet mainly consists of seeds and is complemented by herbaceous matter.

Breeding. Reproduction occurs from August to October in Rajasthan. Females give birth to 2-3 young.

Activity patterns. Sand-colored Soft-furred Rats are nocturnal, terrestrial, and fossorial. Burrows are widely scattered and always excavated below some bush or succulent plants of the family Chenopodiaceae . Burrows are small, not very deep (45-61 cm below surface) and terminate in a nest chamber lined with grass; a vertical tunnellinks the nest chamber to the surface.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Sand-colored Soft-furred Ratis not a colonial species. It is poorly known and always occurs at low densities.

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

Bibliography. Agrawal (2000), Corbet & Hill (1992), Ellerman (1941), Roberts (1977 1997), Thomas (1911e).