35.

Hutterer’s Brush-furred Rat

Lophuromys huttereri

French: Rat-hérissé de Hutterer / German: Hutterer-Blrstenhaarmaus / Spanish: Rata de pelaje de cepillo de Hutterer

Other common names: Hutterer's Brush-furred Mouse

Taxonomy. Lophuromys huttereri W. N. Verheyen, Colyn & Hulselmans, 1996,

near village of Yaenero on left side of the Congo River, 450 m, N Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lophuromys huttereri was distinguished from L. stkapusi species group because of its peculiar skull and craniometric characteristics. Its relationship to other taxa is still doubtful, pending further molecular analyses, but based on external morphology, it may be — to L. nudicaudus . Monotypic.

Distribution. NC DRCongo, a few localities in the Congo Basin on left bank of the Congo River; its exact distribution is unknown but is probably related to the forest block extension and limited by rivers.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 94-114 mm, tail 59-61 mm, hindfoot 18-20 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Similar to the Naked-tail Brush-furred Rat ( L. nudicaudus) and the Western Brush-furred Rat ( L. sikapusi), Hutterer’s Brushfurred Rat has dark brown, harshly unspeckled dorsum and red belly. Feet are short. Tail is short, 50-70% of head-body length. Rostrum is wide and high, and t3 cusp is absent on M*.

Habitat. [Lowland rainforest and fallow land.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Nevertheless, Hutterer’s Brush-furred Ratis rarely trapped and poorly known so its conservation is probably uncertain.

Bibliography. Isangi et al. (2016), Katuala et al. (2008), Monadjem et al. (2015), Verheyen et al. (1996).