587.

Walter Verheyen’s Wood Mouse

Hylomyscus walterverheyeni

French: Hylomysque de Verheyen / German: WalterVerheyen-Afrikawaldmaus / Spanish: Raton de bosque de Walter Verheyen

Other common names: Walter Verheyen's Hylomyscus

Taxonomy. Hylomyscus walterverheyeni Nicolas et al, 2008, Doudou Mountains, southwestern Gabon.

Hylomyscus walterverheyeni previously was included in H. stella but elevated to a distinct species in the H. stella species group based on molecular and morphometric grounds. Monotypic.

Distribution. C Africa in Cameroon volcanic line, SW Cameroon, SE Central African Republic, Gabon, and W Republic of the Congo; possible occurrence in E Nigeria needs to be confirmed from positively identified (DNA-sequenced) specimens.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 67-99 mm, tail 103-153 mm, ear 11:4=19-7 mm, hindfoot 15-5-19-9 mm; weight 11-29 g. Fur of Walter Verheyen’s Wood Mouse is red-brown above and grayish white below, with clear demarcation of ventral and dorsal color. Juveniles have blackish gray dorsum. Tail is very long (c.150% of head-body length), gray-brown, and sparsely covered with very short hair. Hindfeet are short and narrow. Fifth digit on hindfoot is opposable and two-thirds as long as fourth digit. Forefoot has rudimentary first digit, with flat nail rather than claw, and fifth digit is about as long as second digit. Tops of all feet are covered with short white hair, and tips of all digits end in white tufts of hair. Females have four pairs of nipples. Incisors are orthodont orslightly opisthodont. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 46 and FNa = 68.

Habitat. Primary and secondary evergreen and semideciduous forests at altitudes of 120-2000 m. Walter Verheyen’s Wood Mice have been trapped on the ground and at heights of 17 m in forest canopies, but trap success is highest at ¢.2 m.

Food and Feeding. Walter Verheyen’s Wood Mice eat insects, fruit, and seeds, with proportions varying by season and locality.

Breeding. Breeding occurs year-round, with higher proportions of pregnant females during long rainy season and short dry season and lower proportions at beginning of long dry season. Females have 1-6 embryos (mean 3-6).

Activity patterns. Walter Verheyen’s Wood Mouse is nocturnal and mainly arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Duplantier (1982), Genest-Villard (1980), Missoup et al. (2009), Monadjem et al. (2015), Nicolas & Colyn (2003), Nicolas, Wendelen et al. (2008).