610.

Tullberg’s Soft-furred Mouse

Praomys tullbergi

French: Praomys de Tullberg / German: Tullberg-Weichhaarratte / Spanish: Ratén de pelaje suave de Tullberg

Other common names: Tullberg’s Praomys, Tullberg’s Rock Rat

Taxonomy. Mus tullbergi Thomas, 1894, Ankober River, Wasa, Ashanti, Ghana.

Praomys tullbergi is in the P. tullbergi species group and distinguished based on molecular and partially morphometric grounds from P. rostratus with which it co-occurs in West Africa. Until recently, P. tullbergi included P. misonne: from Central Africa, which was shown to be distinct, thereby restricting P. tullbergi to West Africa west of Volta River and P. misonnei to the east of

Volta River. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Upper Guinean forest from SE Guinea E to Ghana, W of the Volta River.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 108-131 mm,tail 115-153 mm, ear 17-21 mm, hindfoot 22-26 mm; weight 28-54 g. Fur of Tullberg’s Soft-furred Mouse is reddish brown (adults) to dark gray (juveniles) above and whitish gray on belly, chin, throat, and chest. Tail is very long (c.140% of head-body length), with short sparse bristles. Hindfeet and forefeet are white. Females have three pairs of nipples. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 34 and FN = 32.

Habitat. Primary and secondary rainforests with good ground cover and cultivated fields from lowlands up to elevations of ¢.1200 m.

Food and Feeding. In Ghana, diet contains mostly fruits, shoots, seeds, and some insects. Breeding. In Ghana, litters have 2-6 young.

Activity patterns. Tullberg’s Soft-furred Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial, occasionally scansorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Akpatou et al. (2007), Cole (1975), Happold (2013a), Jeffrey (1975, 1977), Monadjem et al. (2015), Nicolas, Bryja et al. (2008).