Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Muridae |
Genus: | Lophuromys |
Species: | L. chrysopus |
Binomial name | |
Lophuromys chrysopus Osgood, 1936 | |
The Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat or golden-footed brush-furred rat (Lophuromys chrysopus), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Ethiopia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
This is a small rat with a head-and-body length of about 115 mm (4.5 in) and a tail of about 80 mm (3.1 in). The blackish-brown dorsal fur is long, dense and somewhat stiff, each individual hair having a reddish-brown base, a broad black band, a narrower yellowish band and a black tip. The underparts are creamy-grey with dark speckles. The fore-feet have blackish hairs on top while those on the hind feet are greyish-red, the toes being black and the claws pale. The tail is bicoloured, the upper surface being clad with dark scales and blackish hairs, and the underside with pale scales and grey hairs with white tips. There is a difference in colour between populations on either side of the Great Rift Valley; those to the east have a more intense, reddish-brown dorsal surface and yellower underparts. [2] The chromosome number is 2n = 54 which distinguishes it from the short-tailed brush-furred rat (Lophuromys brevicaudus) where it is 2n = 68. [3]
The species is endemic to Ethiopia where there are two separate populations, separated by the Great Rift Valley. Its habitat is moist evergreen rainforest on the mountainsides and plateaus at altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 2,760 m (3,900 to 9,100 ft). [1]
The Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat is one of the commonest rodents in the mountain forests of Ethiopia, only exceeded in total number by the Ethiopian white-footed mouse, which inhabits shrubland as well as forest. [2] It lives in the Bale Mountains National Park where it is protected, but is elsewhere mainly threatened by the continual loss of forest cover. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as of "least concern". [1]
The white-tailed rat also known as the white-tailed mouse, is the only member of the subfamily Mystromyinae in the family Nesomyidae. This species is sometimes placed in the subfamily Cricetinae due to similarities in appearance between the white-tailed rat and hamsters, but molecular phylogenetic studies have confirmed that the two groups are not closely related. The subfamily Mystromyinae is sometimes placed within the family Muridae along with all other subfamilies of muroids.
The Andean rat, or white-tailed akodont, is the only species in the genus Lenoxus. It is a rodent in the tribe Akodontini found on the eastern slopes of the Andes of eastern Peru and western Bolivia. Examination of its genome shows that this species is not closely related to Oxymycterus as had previously been thought, but is quite distinct, having diverged from the other Akodontini soon after the basal radiation of the entire group.
The brush-furred mice, genus Lophuromys are a group of rodents found in sub-Saharan Africa. They are members of the subfamily Deomyinae, a group only identifiable through molecular analysis. Lophuromys is also known as the brush-furred rats, harsh-furred rats or coarse-haired mice.
The West African shaggy rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Ganzu vole, Eva's red-backed vole, Eva's vole, Gansu vole, or Taozhou vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in mountain forests in China. The IUCN has assessed it as being of "least concern".
The Mount Oku rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. The genus Lamottemys is monotypic, and this is the only species. It is found only in Cameroon where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
Mittendorf's lemniscomys or Mittendorf's striped grass mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Cameroon where it is found at high elevations on a single mountain. Its natural habitat is tropical high-altitude grassland. It faces no particular threats and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as being of "least concern".
Oligoryzomys destructor, also known as Tschudi's colilargo or the destructive pygmy rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oligoryzomys of family Cricetidae. It is found along the eastern Andes from southern Colombia, through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia into northern Argentina. Its karyotype has 2n = 60 and FNa = 76.
The Nillu rat or Sri Lankan mountain rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Sri Lanka where it is known as நில்ளு எலி in Tamil and නෙලූ මීයා(Nelu Meeya) in Sinhalese.
The Ethiopian white-footed mouse or white-footed stenocephalemys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It lives in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane forest and tropical high-altitude shrubland.
Boehm's gerbil is a species of rodent found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and arable land. This is a common species with a wide distribution which faces no obvious threats, so in 2004 the International Union for Conservation of Nature rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse or Hildegarde's zelotomys, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Central Africa.
Thomas's rope squirrel or redless tree squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".
The Lady Burton's rope squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is a common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".
The woodland dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to southern and eastern Africa and is also known as the African dormouse, African dwarf dormouse, African pygmy dormouse, or colloquially as micro squirrel. Found in limited numbers in the pet trade, it has complicated care requirements compared to other pet rodents. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical, moist montane forests and rivers.
Hildegarde's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Considered by some authorities to be a subspecies of Crocidura gracilipes, it is now recognised as a separate species, with a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 52. This is one of three species of small mammal named by the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas in honour of anthropologist Hildegarde Beatrice Hinde.
The long-tailed forest shrew, or long-tailed mouse shrew, is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to South Africa, where its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and swamps.
Rüppell's horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae found in Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, savanna, caves and other subterranean habitats. This species is quite common in parts of its range, and no specific threats have been recognised, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Maghreb garden dormouse is a nocturnal species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara. Its natural habitats vary from humid forests to semi-deserts. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".
Thomas's Ethiopian brush-furred rat, also called the brown brush-furred rat or the brown brush-furred mouse, is a species of brush-furred mouse from Southern Ethiopia.