28.

Mount Chercher Brush-furred Rat

Lophuromys chercherensis

French: Rat-hérissé des Chercher / German: Mount-Chercher-Birstenhaarmaus / Spanish: Rata de pelaje de cepillo de Chercher

Taxonomy. Lophuromys chercherensis Lavrenchenko et al, 2007,

Chercher Mts, Ethiopia.

Lophuromys chercherensis is in flavopunctatus species group and seems to be closely related to L. simensis and L. menagashae. Monotypic.

Distribution. Chercher Mts on the E side of the Rift Valley in NE Ethiopia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 114-145 mm, tail 60-65 mm, ear 17-18 mm, hindfoot 22-24 mm; weight 36-78 g. Dorsum of the Mount Chercher Brush-furred Rat is brown, with light and dark bands. Karyotypeis 2n = 70.

Habitat. Mountain forests at elevations of 2000-2700 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

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