8.

Grandidier’s Tufted-tail Rat

Eliurus grandidieri

French: Rat-loir de Grandidier / German: GrandidierBilchschwanz / Spanish: Rata de cola de penacho de Grandidier

Other common names: Grandidier’s Tuft-tailed Rat

Taxonomy. Eliurus grandidieri Carleton & Goodman, 1998,

“ Madagascar, Province d’Antsiranana, Réserve Spéciale d’Anjanaharibe-Sud, 11 km WSW of Befingitra, 1550 m, 14°44.5’S, 49°27.5 'E ”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to the Central Highlands and N & E Madagascar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 111-164 mm, tail 144-176 mm; weight 42-62 g. Dorsum of Grandidier’s Tufted-tail Rat is blackish brown to blackish gray, flanks are dominated by light gray with brown or blackish gray appearance, and venter is grayish white. Muzzle is proportionately more elongated than other congeneric species. Ears are relatively long. Tail is bicolored, with gray dorsum and light venter, covered along distal one-third with white sparse fur becoming thicker and longer toward distal tip. Tarsi are gray, and feet and toes are distinctly white.

Habitat. Eastern humid montane and sclerophyllous forest as far south as the centraleast and parts of the Northern Highlands at elevations of ¢.410-2050 m.

Food and Feeding. Grandidier’s Tufted-tail Rat is presumed to be largely granivorous.

Breeding. Breeding season of Grandidier’s Tufted-tail Rat seems to vary among sites and perhaps along elevational gradients. Females generally give birth at the end of the dry season, sometime in late August or September. Females have six pairs of mammae, and maximum litter size is three young.

Activity patterns. Grandidier’s Tufted-tail Rat is nocturnal and mostly terrestrial but, in some cases, scansorial. On the basis of trap captures, it probably uses ground dens.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Grandidier’s Tufted-tail Ratis forest-dwelling and is known from numerous localities in the northern one-half of Madagascar’s eastern humid forests. Given its habitat preference of montane humid forest, which are to a large extent not under extensive human pressure, its mediumterm seems relatively assured.

Bibliography. Carleton (1994, 2003), Carleton & Goodman (1998, 2000), Goodman, Ganzhorn & Rakotondravony (2003), Goodman, Soarimalala et al. (2013), Soarimalala & Goodman (2011).