484.

Lake Victoria Groove-toothed Swamp Rat

Pelomys isseli

French: Pélomys d'Issel / German: Viktoriasee-Furchenzahn-Bachratte / Spanish: Rata de ciénaga de dientes estriados del Victoria

Other common names: Issel’'s Groove-toothed Swamp Rat, Issel’s Pelomys, Lake Victoria Pelomys

Taxonomy. Komemys isseli De Beaux, 1924,

KomeIsland, Lake Victoria, Uganda.

Pelomys isseli 1s closely related to P. hopkins, the two constituting the subgenus Komemys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from three of the Ssese Is (Bugala, Bunyama, Kome) in NW part of Lake Victoria, Uganda, and extreme mainland SW Kenya (Nyabera Marsh).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 132-149 mm, tail 148-156 mm, ear 15-16 mm, hindfoot 31-32 mm; weight 60-83 g. The Lake Victoria Groove-toothed Swamp Rat is a medium-sized rodent with grooved upper incisors. Fur is warm tawny buff slightly speckled with black above, brownish gray below, and yellowish gray on flanks. Very distinct black mid-dorsalstripe extends from forehead to base oftail. Nose, base of ears, and area around eyes and at base of ears may be rufous. Margins of ears are covered with black hairs. Soles of feet pale (not blackish). Tail is long (c.113% of head-body length), bicolored, blackish above and yellowish below.

Habitat. Forest edge, scrub, and abandoned farmland.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Delany (1975), Hanelt et al. (2010), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015).