51.

Western Brush-furred Rat

Lophuromys sikapusi

French: Rat-hérissé de Temminck / German: Rostbauch-Birstenhaarmaus / Spanish: Rata de pelaje de cepillo occidental

Other common names: Rusty-bellied Brush-furred Rat

Taxonomy. Mus sikapusi Temminck, 1853,

Dabracom Gold Coast, Ghana.

A revision of the L. sikapusi species group concluded that L. sikapusi was restricted to West Central Africa to the Sanaga River (Cameroon), and L. ansorgei and L. angolensis were considered distinct, which is followed here pending further revision of the L. sikapusi species complex. Monotypic.

Distribution. From Guinea E to Cameroon, N of the Sanaga River, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, S Ghana, S Ivory Coast, S Togo, S Benin, and S Nigeria.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 110-145 mm,tail 58-75 mm, ear 14-18 mm, hindfoot 20-25 mm; weight 34-87 g. The Western Brush-furred Rat is unspeckled and small. Dorsum is rufous to rusty; venter is orange pale rufous or red, and some individuals are darker brown than others. Hindfeet are short, and tail is 50-60% of head-body length. Females have three pairs of mammae. Diploid numbers and cytotypes differ throughout the distribution. Distinct chromosomal complements have been found: 9n = 66 and FNa = 74 in coastal Guinea and 2n = 64, FN = 76 or 2n = 60, FN = 70-76 on Mount Nimba, Ivory Coast.

Habitat. Lowland rainforest, swampy areas,rice fields, fallow fields and clearings, and grasslands with abundant ground cover at elevations below 1700 m.

Food and Feeding. Western Brush-furred Rats are omnivorous, with important insect components in diets. They forage in litter and soil to catch insects, millipedes, earthworms, and snails and to find fallen fruits and seeds. In southern Nigeria and Ivory Coast, insects, earthworms, and plant material were found in stomachs.

Breeding. In southern Nigeria, pregnancy is recorded during the wet season (March— June). Gestation is ¢.30 days with 2-5 embryos; litters have 2-3 young.

Activity patterns. Western Brush-furred Rats are terrestrial and nocturnal or crepuscular. They make tunnels through litter and long grass and build dry grass nests on the ground’s surface or just below.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (including L. angolensis and L. ansorgei). The Western Brush-furred Rat is abundant, with wide distribution and capacity to live in various habitats including degraded ones. Nevertheless, logging, burning, and intensification of agriculture might be future threats. The Western Brush-furred Rat is considered a delicacy and is hunted as bushmeat in areas of Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Bibliography. Bonwitt et al. (2016), Denys, Lalis et al. (2009), Dieterlen (1976b), Funmilayo & Akande (1979), Gautun et al. (1986), Grubb et al. (1998), Happold (1974, 1987), Heim de Balsac & Aellen (1965), Matthey (1958), Roche (1962), Rosevear (1969), Verheyen, Dierckx & Hulselmans (2000), Verheyen, Hulselmans et al. (1997).