460.

Eastern Rainforest Thicket Rat

Grammomys kuru

French: Grammomys du Congo / German: Zentralafrika-Akazienmaus / Spanish: Rata de matorral de bosque lluvioso oriental

Other common names: Eastern Rainforest Grammomys, Shining Thicket Rat, Shining Grammomys

Taxonomy. 7 Thamnomys kuru Thomas & Wroughton, 1907,

Angu, Uele River, Orientale, NE DR Congo.

Grammomys kuru was previously known by the specific epithet rutilans, but that name is preoccupied and therefore invalid. The taxonomic and geographic boundaries of G. kuru are unclear and it is easily confused with G. poensis (but is apparently rare on left bank of Congo River where G. poensis is found); compared with G. poensis, skull size is smaller and tooth row is shorter. Recent molecular study confirmed the validity of G. kuru . Monotypic.

Distribution. Occurs widely in NE part of the Congo Basin (NE DR Congo), extending into W Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 109-145 mm, tail 140-172 mm, ear 12-17 mm, hindfoot 22-26 mm; weight 31-60 g. Fur of the Eastern Rainforest Thicket Rat is grayish brown above and dark rufous in mid-dorsal area, with sharply demarcated pure creamy-white belly tinged with orange, sometimes bordered by thin orange line. Tail is very long (160% of head-body length), semi-prehensile, and tufted. Ears are small, pigmented with short brown hairs, without white post-auricular spot. Feet have four digits on forefoot and five on relatively short hindfoot, fifth digit longer and semiopposable. Claws are short, as in all members of genus. Females have 0+2 = 2 pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 50.

Habitat. [Lowland rainforest in clearings, disturbed and secondary forest, in farmlands (mature cocoa and cocoyamplantations) and in secondary bush around farmlands.

Food and Feeding. The Eastern Rainforest Thicket Rat is mostly frugivorous.

Breeding. Females nipple-drag the young after birth for about 14 days, as recorded also for other species in genus. Gestation lasts 24 days. Litter size 1-3.

Activity patterns. Eastern Rainforest Thicket Rats are nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Bryja et al. (2017), Genest-Villard (1972, 1980), Malcolm & Ray (2000), Musser & Carleton (2005).