468.

Woodland Thicket Rat

Grammomys dolichurus

French: Grammomys du Cap / German: \Wald-Akazienmaus / Spanish: Rata de matorral de bosque

Other common names: Common Grammomys, Woodland Grammomys, Woodland Mouse

Taxonomy. Mus dolichurus Smuts, 1832,

near Cape Town, South Africa.

Grammomys dolichurus previously included G. buntingi, G. caniceps, and G. dryas . It overlaps morphologically with G. cometes, but is genetically and possibly ecologically distinct. Monotypic.

Distribution. Occurs widely throughout E & S Africa in a range of woodlands and forests, but absent from the rainforest belt, and from NE DR Congo and Uganda in the N and Angola in the W to coastal SE South Africa; isolated populations in WC South Sudan, S Ethiopia, and SW Somalia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 90-136 mm, tail 129-185 mm, ear 15-23 mm, hindfoot 21-26 mm; weight 20-54 g. Fur of the Woodland Thicket Rat is rufous brown above, becoming brighter orange brown on rump, with sharply demarcated pure white belly bordered by a thin orange line. Tail is very long (150-180% of head—body length) and semi-prehensile, scaly with brown bristles, with terminal tuft of longer black hairs. Ears are small, ginger-colored and lack white post-auricular spot. There are four digits on forefoot and five on relatively short hindfoot,fifth digit longer and semi-opposable. Females have either 0+2 = 2 or 1+2 = 3 pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 44-52, FN = 62.

Habitat. Woodlands and riparian forest within savanna.

Food and Feeding. In South Africa, Woodland Thicket Rats consume fruit, leaves, and stems throughout year, insects being eaten only in spring.

Breeding. Breeding season varies geographically, with reproductive females present in wet season (February—May) in Malawi, in January and September in Zimbabwe, in summer and autumn (December—July) in South Africa, and every 5-6 weeks continuously throughout year in tropical Uganda. Gestation lasts c¢.24 days. Embryos number 1-6. Individuals reach reproductive maturity at a weight of 30 g.

Activity patterns. Woodland Thicket Rats are nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Woodland Thicket Rats live communally in nests built of grass and leaves or in abandoned bird nests. They occur at a density of 1-1 ind/ha in Afro-montane forest in South Africa.

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

Bibliography. Bryja et al. (2017), De Graaff (1981), Delany (1975), Dieterlen (1967a), Hanney (1965), Krystufek, Baxter et al. (2008), Monadjem etal. (2015), Smithers (1983), Smithers & Wilson (1979), Wirminghaus & Perrin (1992, 1993).