29.

Ethiopian Forest Brush-furred Rat

Lophuromys chrysopus

French: Rat-hérissé a pattes dorées / German: Goldfuf 3-Birstenhaarmaus / Spanish: Rata de pelaje de cepillo de bosque de Etiopia

Other common names: Golden-footed Brush-furred Rat

Taxonomy. Lophuromys chrysopus Osgood, 1936,

Allata, Sidamo Province, Ethiopia.

Lophuromys chrysopus initially was described as a subspecies of L. aquilus and then synonymized with L. flavopunctatus . G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005 sorted it out based on chromosomal and genetic studies. A revision by W. N. Verheyen and colleagues in 2007 highlighted its different karyotype and morphometric characteristics. Monotypic.

Distribution. Both sides of Rift Valley in SW Ethiopia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 100-130 mm, tail 72-87 mm, ear 16-19 mm, hindfoot 19-23 mm; weight 32-59 g. The Ethiopian Forest Brush-furred Rat is small, with a tail 70% of head-body length. Dorsum is speckled and blackish brown, contrasting with yellowto-reddish venter. Females have three pairs of mammae. Chromosomal complementis 2n = 54 and FNa = 60.

Habitat. Mountain forests at elevations of 1200-2760 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. At one location, female Ethiopian Forest Brush-furred Rats were pregnant during the end of the dry seasonand beginning of the wet one. They each had two embryos.

Activity patterns. The Ethiopian Forest Brush-furred Rat is active day and night.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Ethiopian Forest Brush-furred Rats are very common in the Harenna Forest (32% of captured rodents). They are not aggressive toward each other in captivity.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Ethiopian Forest Brush-furred Rat is protected in Bale Mountains National Park and other places, but population trends are unknown because ecological data are missing.

Bibliography. Lavrenchenko (2013), Lavrenchenko, Milishnikov et al. (1997), Lavrenchenko, Verheyen & Hulselmans (1998), Milishnikov et al. (2000), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Verheyen et al. (2007).