491.

Thomas's Thicket Rat

Thamnomys venustus

French: Thamnomys de Thomas / German: Thomas-Dickichtratte / Spanish: Rata de acacias de Thomas

Other common names: Charming Thicket Rat, Charming Thamnomys, Thomas's Thamnomys

Taxonomy. Thamnomys venustus Thomas, 1907,

“Ruwenzori East, [Uganda]. Alt 7000" [= 2134 m].”

Thamnomys venustus previously included 1. schoutedeni, but is larger than that species and lives at higher altitudes. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known from just a few localities in vicinity of lakes Albert and Kivu in the Albertine Rift, encompassing Rwenzori and Virunga Mts.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 140-160 mm, tail 183-209 mm, ear 20-23 mm, hindfoot 25-27 mm; weight 59-70 g. Thomas’s Thicket Rat is a medium-sized rodent with very long tail. Fur is long, dark brown above, withyellowish-brown flanks, sharply contrasting with whitish, yellow-tinted belly. Has narrow dark eye-ring and reddish-brown ears. Limbs and feet are reddish brown with whitish toes, feet with dark patches on upper surface; hindfeet broad and relatively short. Tail is very long (c.135% of head-body length), dark above and paler below, with terminal tuft of longer hairs. Females have 0+2 = 2 pairs of nipples.

Habitat. Primary and secondary rainforest and submontane forest, at 1800-3000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Thomas’s Thicket Rat is arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Dieterlen (1999), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Thomas (1907a).