39.

Machangu’s Brush-furred Rat

Lophuromys machangui

French: Rat-hérissé de Machang'u / German: Machungu-Birstenhaarmaus / Spanish: Rata de pelaje de cepillo de Machangu

Taxonomy. Lophuromys machangui W. N. Verheyen et al, 2007,

Mount Rungwe (9.10° S$-33.39° E; altitude 2300 m), Tanzania.

During a revision of the L. flavopunctatus species complex, L. machangui was identified based on morphometric analysis of skulls and mtDNA analysis. Monotypic.

Distribution. S Tanzania, N Malawi, and N Mozambique.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 105- 135 mm, tail 24-81 mm, ear 13-4- 19-1 mm, hindfoot 17-6-22-7 mm; weight 38-84 g. Machangu’s Brush-furred Rat is similar to the Buff-spotted Brush-furred Rat ( L. flavopunctatus) and smaller than Kilonzo’s Brush-furred Rat (L. kilonzoi) and the Dark-colored Brush-furred Rat (L. agulus), from whom it can be differentiated by morphometric analyses. Machangu'’s Brush-furred Rat is speckled and seems to have a short tail (c.50% of head-body length).

Habitat. Primary and secondary mountain forests and Afro-alpine scrubs at elevations above 2000 m up to 2900 m in Mount Rungwe and surrounding Malawi and Nyika Plateau mountains.

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 [UCN Red List.

Bibliography. Monadjem et al. (2015), Verheyen et al. (2007).