54.

Verhagen’s Brush-furred Rat

Lophuromys verhageni

French: Rat-hérissé de Verhagen / German: Verhagen-Biirstenhaaarmaus / Spanish: Rata de pelaje de cepillo de Verhagen

Taxonomy. Lophuromys verhageni W. N. Verheyen et al, 2002,

Mt Meru, 03°13’47” S, 36°41°34” E (2600 m), Tanzania .

During the revision of the L. flavopunctatus species complex, L. verhageni was described as distinct especially from L. aguilus from Mount Kilimanjaro by using morphological and craniometric analyses. Molecular analyses (mtDNA) confirmed validity of L. verhageni and placed it close to L. aquilus and L. brunneus . Some authors disagree about validity of L. verhageni, but they never express any arguments for synonymization. Monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Meru, N Tanzania.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 112-140 mm, tail 43-81 mm, ear 14-3-22 mm, hindfoot 21-23-5 mm; weight 40-64 g. Verhagen’s Brush-furred Ratis speckled and has short tail (50-60% of head-body length). It is quite a large, with slender skull and weak supraorbital ridges.

Habitat. Afro-alpine grassland and bush with small pools heavily surrounded by papyrus sedge ( Cyperaceae) at edges or above mountain forests, and heather bush and some bamboo at elevations of 2300-3600 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 List as a distinct species. Verhagen’s Brush-furred Rat probablywould be best classified as Data Deficient because of lack basic knowledge aboutits life history and ecology.

Bibliography. Monadjem et al. (2015), Stanley & Kihaule (2016), Verheyen, Hulselmans, Dierckx, Mulungu et al. (2007), Verheyen, Hulselmans, Dierckx & Verheyen (2002).