41.

Margaret's Brush-furred Rat

Lophuromys margarettae

French: Rat-hérissé du Warges / German: Margaret-Birstenhaarmaus / Spanish: Rata de pelaje de cepillo de Margaret

Other common names: Uaragues Harsh-furred Mouse

Taxonomy. Lophuromys aquilus margarettae Heller, 1912,

Mt Guargues (= Warges), Lenkiyio Hills, Kenya.

Lophuromys margarettae was initially described as a subspecies of L. aquilus and later synonymized under L. flavopunctatus . It was elevated to a distinct species based on analyses of external and skull measurements and mtDNA of specimens from the type locality. Monotypic.

Distribution. Highlands of W Uganda and Kenya.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 120 mm, tail 80 mm, ear 18mm, hindfoot 21 mm. No specific data available for body weight. Margaret’s Brush-furred Ratis dark brown dorsally, with slightly russet speckled hair, and venteris tawny-ocherous, sharply contrasting dark flanks. Bicolored tail is short (c.66% of head-body length).

Habitat. Mountain forests of the Rift Valley at elevations above 2000 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. In Matthews Range, Margaret’s Brush-furred Rat occurs on an isolated mountain with high biodiversity value; degradation of habitat by fire might be a threat.

Bibliography. Heller (1912), Misonne (1974), Musser & Carleton (1993), Verheyen, Hulselmans, Dierckx, Mulungu et al. (2007), Verheyen, Hulselmans, Dierckx & Verheyen (2002).