607.

Cameroon Soft-furred Mouse

Praomys morio

French: Praomys du Cameroun / German: Kamerun-Weichhaarratte / Spanish: Raton de pelaje suave de Camerun

Other common names: Cameroon Praomys

Taxonomy. Mus (Epimys) morio Trouessart, 1881, Mount Cameroon, 2135 m, Cameroon. Praomys morio is one of eight species in the P. tullbergi species group and distinguished based on molecular grounds. Monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Cameroon, W Cameroon, and Bioko I, Equatorial Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 100- 130 mm, tail 110-147 mm, ear 16-20 mm, hindfoot 21-25 mm; weight 27-62 g. Fur of the Cameroon Soft-furred Mouse is dark rufous-brown to blackish brown above and pale to dark gray below. Tail is very long (c.112% of head-body length) and dark. Hindfeet and forefeet are dark brown. Females have three pairs of nipples.

Habitat. Montane forest and alpine grassland at elevations above 1000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Gestation lasts 26-30 days. Litters have 2-6 young.

Activity patterns. The Cameroon Soft-furred Mouse is nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The Cameroon Soft-furred Mouse occurs in two disjunct areas occupying only ¢.2900 km? and the extent and quality of its forest habitat continue to decline.

Bibliography. Eisentraut (1970, 1973), Happold (2013a), Missoup et al. (2012), Monadjem etal. (2015).