816.

Vernay’s Climbing Mouse

Vernaya fulva

French: ernaya rousse / German: Vernay-Klettermaus / Spanish: Raton trepador de Vernay

Other common names: Red Climbing Mouse

Taxonomy. Chiropodomys fulvus G. M. Allen, 1927,

Yinpankai, Mekong River, Yun-

nan, China.

This enigmatic genus, originally considered as Chiropodomys or Vandeleuria,

is poorly known. X. Misonne in 1974 indicated that Vernaya was close to Chiropodomys with regard to dental morphology. V. fulva is considered as incertae sedis and has never been investigated genetically. Monotypic.

Distribution. C & SC China (S Gansu, SW Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan) and NE Myanmar.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 58-80 mm, tail 100-140 mm, ear 17 mm, hindfoot 16-18 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Vernay’s Climbing Mouse is small, rich brown orange dorsally, fulvous orange on sides, and gray or buffy white ventrally. Pelage is very soft and thick. Tail is very long, 170-200% of head-body length, dark, covered by brown hairs, and darker above than below. Thumb has flat nail. Skull has short muzzle and high and wide braincase. Females have eight pairs of mammae.

Habitat. Mountain forests with low shrubs and thickets above 2100 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Vernay’s Climbing Mouse is nocturnal and arboreal, with adaptations for climbing.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Vernay’s Climbing Mouse seems not to be affected by human activities.

Bibliography. Allen (1927), Anthony (1941), Francis (2008), Lunde (2007), Misonne (1974), Smith & Yan Xie (2008).