606.

Hartwig’s Soft-furred Mouse

Praomys hartwigi

French: Praomys de Hartwig / German: Hartwig-Weichhaarratte / Spanish: Raton de pelaje suave de Hartwig

Other common names: Hartwig's Praomys

Taxonomy. Praomys hartwigi Eisentraut, 1968, Lake Oku, Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. Praomys hartwigi is one of eight species in the P. tullbergi species group. It can be distinguished from other members of the group based on molecular grounds. Monotypic.

Distribution. Restricted to Mt Oku and Mt Manengouba in the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 115-134 mm, tail 152-173 mm, ear 17-21 mm, hindfoot 24-28 mm; weight 44-70 g. Fur of Hartwig’s Soft-furred Mouse is long, soft, and rich dark reddish brown or russet-brown above and on flanks and whitish gray below. Tail is very long (c.140% of head-body length), medium brown with fine dark scales and short dark bristles. Hindfeet and forefeet are whitish. Forefeet have first digit reduced to tubercle with small claw. Females have three pairs of nipples.

Habitat. Montane forests.

Food and Feeding. Hartwig’s Soft-furred Mouse is omnivorous, with up to 10% of stomachs contents comprising arthropods and worms.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Hartwig’s Soft-furred Mice are nocturnal, terrestrial and probably scansorial based on limb proportions. They are trapped on the forest floor.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Eisentraut (1970), Happold (2013a), Hutterer et al. (1992), Monadjem et al. (2015).