159.

Buttner’s African Forest Mouse

Leimacomys buettneri

French: Rat de Bittner / German: Furchenzahn-Waldmaus / Spanish: Raton de bosque de Blttner

Other common names: Bittner Forest Mouse, Blttner Togo Mouse, Groove-toothed Forest Mouse, Togo Mouse

Taxonomy. Leimacomys buettneri Matschie, 1893,

Bismarckburg, near Yege, Togo.

Since its original description, Leimacomys has been considered an atypical member of nesomyid subfamily Dendromurinae by various authors, including among others G. M. Allen in 1939, D. R. Rosevear in 1969, X. Misonne in 1966, and F. Dieterlen in 1976. In 1941, J. R. Ellerman discussed that treatment and attempted to classify it within Muridae . Revision of cranio-dental morphology of the genus and of Dendromurinae by C. Denys in 1993 and (with colleagues) in 1995 revealed further original characteristics of the genus and paraphyly of the subfamily. In 2005, G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton isolated Leimacomys in its own subfamily to highlight its peculiar morphological features. No genetic data are available to confirm its phylogenetic position. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from type locality in Atacora Mts, C Togo.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 118 mm,tail 37 mm, ear 14 mm, hindfoot 21 mm (holotype). No specific data are available for body weight. Buittner’s African Forest Mouseis a small rodent with very short, sparsely haired tail (length 30% of head-body length). Dorsal pelage is yellow brown and ventral pelage gray brown. Feet have long claws except for reduced first digit of hand, which bears a nail (as in some Dendromurinae species). It has proodont incisors and a large interorbital constriction. Palate is long and M' teeth lack typical murine cusps.

Habitat. Woodlands of Atacora Mountains. Two specimens collected in Togo were found in transition zone (ecotone) between rainforest and savanna. F. Dieterlen suggested in 2013 that dense grassland close to riverine forest patch may represent its habitat.

Food and Feeding. Stomach contents of the single individual captured comprised termites, and morphology suggests an insectivorous diet.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. No specimen of Buttner’s African Forest Mouse has been collected since 1893. Some expeditions attempted to collect it and the species may be present also in Ghana. Dry forests of West Africa are severely threatened by deforestation, and type locality is not in a protected area. The species may be extinct.

Bibliography. Allen (1939), Decher et al. (2001), Denys (1993), Denys et al. (1995), Dieterlen (1976a), Ellerman (1941), Grubb et al. (1998), Misonne (1966), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005, 2013d), Rosevear (1969), Van der Straeten (2016).