461.

Short-snouted Thicket Rat

Grammomys brevirostris

French: Grammomys a museau court / German: Kurzschnauzen-Akazienmaus / Spanish: Rata de matorral de hocico corto

Other common names: Loita Plain Grammomys, Loita Plain Thicket Rat, Short-snouted Grammomys

Taxonomy. Grammomys brevirostris Krystufek, 2008,

Kenya, Lemesikio, Lo-liondo, Loita Plains (S 01°30’, E 35°09’).” Modified here to Loita Plains, Kenya (S 01°30’, E 35°09’) because Lemesikio and LLoliondo are across the border in Tanzania.

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Grammomys brevirostris was described on basis of cranial and dental characteristics of type specimen. Monotypic.

464.

East African Thicket Rat

Grammomys ibeanus

French: Grammomys d'Osgood / German: Ostliche Akazienmaus / Spanish: Rata de matorral de Africa oriental

Distribution. Known only from type locality in SW Kenya.

Other common names: East African Grammomys, Rwenzori Grammomys, Rwenzori Thicket Rat Taxonomy. Thamnomys ibeanus Osgood, 1910, Molo, Kenya. Grammomys ibeanus was previously includ-ed in G. cometes, but molecular data show it to be closer to G. macmillani. Monotypic. Distribution. Occurs quite widely in E Africa associated with mountains of the Rift Valley system and the Eastern Arc, including S South Sudan, E Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique.

Descriptive notes. No external measurements available. This species’ fur is reddish brown to rusty above, with grayflanks and sharply demarcated white belly. Lips and cheeks are white; there is no subauricular tuft. Tail is dark, nearly blackish throughout, with no terminal tuft, and presumably is very long and semi-prehensile. Feet are whitish dorsally.

Habitat. No information.

Food and Feeding. Short-snouted Thicket Rats are presumably herbivorous.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Short-snouted Thicket Rats are presumably nocturnal and arboreal, as other members of genus.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 112- 130 mm, tail 129-220 mm, ear 17-21 mm, hindfoot 21-26 mm; weight 27-60 g. Fur of the East African Thicket Rat is dull olive gray above,with sharply demarcated pure white belly, sometimes bordered by thin orange line. Tail is very long (150% of headbody length), semi-prehensile, and tufted. Ears are relatively large, with or without a white post-auricular spot. Feet are yellowish-red, sometimes with silvery hairs, with four digits on forefoot and five on relatively short hindfoot,fifth digit longer and semiopposable. Females have 1+2 = 3 pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 44-48.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Krystufek (2008).

462.

Gray-headed Thicket Rat

Grammomys caniceps

French: Grammomys a téte grise / German: Graukopf-Akazienmaus / Spanish: Rata de matorral de cabeza gris

Other common names: Gray-headed Grammomys

Taxonomy. Grammomys caniceps Hutterer & Dieterlen, 1984,

Malindi, Kenya .

Grammomys caniceps was previously included in G. dolichurus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Occurs in a narrow coastal strip from S Somalia S to Malindi in E Kenya.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 86-105 mm, tail 147-155 mm, ear 14-17 mm, hindfoot 19-22 mm; weight 18-40 g. Fur of the Gray-headed Thicket Rat is grayish

brown with scattered black hairs above, with bright cinnamon rump, and sharply demarcated pure white belly. Tail is very long (150% of head-body length) and semi-pre-hensile, with short dark brown bristles, and with terminal tuft of white hairs. Ears are large and covered with short brown hairs, and a white post-auricular spot extends onto back of head. Feet are white, with four digits on forefoot and five on relatively short hindfoot,the fifth digit longer and semi-opposable. Females have either 2+1 = 3 pairs or 1+1 = 2 pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 54-61 and FN = 78.

Habitat. Probably dry coastal savanna including acacia trees ( Acacia, Fabaceae).

Food and Feeding. In captivity, Gray-headed Thicket Rats fed on seeds,fruit, and insect larvae.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Gray-headed Thicket RatS are presumed to be nocturnal and arboreal. They are known to build bowl-like nests in acacia trees.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Captive-bred individuals were tolerant toward each other and lived in groups of 5-10 in one cage.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Hutterer & Dieterlen (1984), Roche et al. (1984).

463.

Mount Kenya Thicket Rat

Grammomys gigas

French: Grammomys géant / German: Mount-Kenya-Akazienmaus / Spanish: Rata de matorral del Monte Kenia

Other common names: Giant Grammomys, Giant Thicket Rat, Mount Kenya Grammomys

Taxonomy. 7 Thamnomys gigas Dollman, 1911,

“Solai, Mt. Kenia, [Kenya]. Altitude 9000 ft [= 2740 m].”

Grammomys gigas is known only from the holotype, skull of which is larger than that of any other Grammomys, although body measurements overlap with those of G. ibeanus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Mt Kenya, C Kenya. Descriptive notes. Head-body 100130 mm, tail 142-177 mm, ear 15-21 mm, hindfoot 22-28 mm; weight 30-59 g. The Mount Kenya Thicket Rat’s fur is olive gray above,becoming brighter orange brown on rump, with sharply demarcated white belly tinted with pink. Tail is very long (152% of head-body length), semi-prehensile, and tufted. Feet are buff, with four digits on forefoot and five on relatively short hindfoot,fifth digit longer and semi-opposable. Habitat. Little is known, but presumably similar to that of the East African Thicket Rat (G. beanus).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Mount Kenya Thicket Rats are presumably nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Dollman (1911a), Monadjem et al. (2015)

Habitat. Dense vegetation with thickets and trees, including damp evergreen forest and montane forest, at 1900-3600 m. On Mount Elgon, Kenya, East African Thicket Rats are also found in bushy rock outcrops in afro-alpine grasslands above 2750 m. In Malawi they occur also inside houses.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. In Malawi, reproduction occurs during the wet season (November—April) and litter size 2-5.

Activity patterns. East African 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. Hanney (1965), Krystufek, Baxter et al. (2008), Monadjem et al. (2015).