580.

Mount Oku Wood Mouse

Hylomyscus grandis

French: Hylomysque de I'Oku / German: Mount-Oku-Afrikawaldmaus / Spanish: Raton de bosque de Oku

Other common names: Large Hylomyscus, Large Wood Mouse, Mount Oku Hylomyscus

Taxonomy. Hylomyscus aeta grandis Eisentraut, 1969,

Lake Oku on Mount Oku, 2100 m, Banso Highlands, West Cameroon.

Hylomyscus grandis was previously subspecies of H. aeta but elevated to a full species based on its larger size. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from four specimens collected from upper slopes of Mt Oku, W Cameroon.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 89-110 mm, tail 130-150 mm, ear 15-20, hindfoot 18 22 mm; weight 25-41 g. Fur of the Mount Oku Wood Mouse is fine and soft, grayish brown to bright cinnamon-brown on dorsum and flanks and whitish gray on venter, nose, upper lips, chin, and lower cheeks. Dorsal and ventral colors are sharply delineated. Tail is very long (c.145% of head-body length) and appears naked exceptfor tuft of hair at tip. Fifth digit on hindfoot is opposable and almost as long as second to fourth digits. Females have two pairs of nipples.

Habitat. Montane forest at ¢.2100 m ofaltitude.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. A pregnant Mount Oku Wood Mouse caught in January had 5-6 embryos.

Activity patterns. The Mount Oku Wood Mouse is presumably arboreal and nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Hutterer et al. (1992), Monadjem et al. (2015).