503.

Nilgiri Long-tailed

Climbing Mouse

Vandeleuria nilagiricus

French: Vandeleuria des Nilgiri / German: Nilgiri-Langschwanzklettermaus / Spanish: Raton trepador de cola larga de Nilgiri

Other common names: Nilgiri Long-tailed Tree Mouse, Nilgiri Vandeleuria

Taxonomy. Mus nilagiricus Jerdon, 1867,

Ootacamund, Nilgiri Hills, eastern Tamil Nadu, south-western India .

Genus Vandeleuria is formed from a word that is neither Latin nor Greek and was originally combined with a masculine adjectival epithet (oleraceus), and thus is masculine. For this reason widely used specific name nilagirica has been changed for gen-der agreement. Monotypic.

Distribution. S Western Ghats, SW India;it

might be present N ofits known range in similar habitats.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 105 mm, tail 142 mm, hindfoot 21 mm. Nospecific data are available for body weight. The Nilgiri Long-tailed Climbing Mouse is small, with flat nail, not pointed claw, on outer finger and outer toe; venter is white, with grayish underfur; and tail is slender and twice longer thanhead-body length. Skull is short and broad; rostrum is short; and molars are squarish and upper molars have a seventh cusp (t7). There are four pairs of mammae.

Habitat. Primary lowland forests and undisturbed plantations of banana and coffee near native forest.

Food and Feeding. The Nilgiri Long-tailed Climbing Mouse is probably herbivorous.

Breeding. Nilgiri Long-tailed Climbing Mice nest in pairs in October-February. Nests are abandoned when young leave.

Activity patterns. The Nilgiri Long-tailed Climbing Mouse is probably nocturnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Nilgiri Long-tailed Climbing Mice shelter in tree holes and shallow nests high up in trees outside breeding period.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List (as V. nilagirica). Human disturbance and use ofpesticides and herbicides are important conservation threats to the Nilgiri Long-tailed Climbing Mouse. It does not occur in national areas and seems to be mainly present in disturbed habitats. It is listed as a pest under Schedule V of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Jerdon (1867), Molur et al. (2005), Musser & Carleton (2005)