Muridae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
Author
Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
text
2017
2017-11-30
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II
536
884
book chapter
100954
10.5281/zenodo.6887260
a016af63-6437-427b-80b7-22bc9a002e20
978-84-16728-04-6
6887260
37.
Albertine Rift Brush-furred Rat
Lophuromys laticeps
French:
Rat-hérissé du Kivu
/
German:
Breitkopf-Blrstenhaarmaus
/
Spanish:
Rata de pelaje de cepillo del Valle Albertino
Taxonomy.
Lophuromys laticeps Thomas & Wroughton, 1907
,
Lake Kivu, Rwanda.
In the original description,
L. laticeps
was morphologically close to
L. aquilus
but had differences of size. In the revision of the
L. aquilus
species group,
L. laticeps
from the Albertine Rift was rehabilitated based on molecular and morphometric characteristics. It was included in the same clade as
L. melanonyx
,
L. zena
,
L. dudui
, and
L. rita
. Monotypic.
Distribution.
Endemic to the Albertine Rift in E DR Congo, SW Uganda, Rwanda,and Burundi.
Descriptive notes.
Head-body 99-136 mm, tail 54-76 mm, ear 15-18-6 mm, hindfoot 19-23-3 mm; weight 43-76 g. Externally, the Albertine Rift Brush-furred Rat looks like the Buff-spotted Brush-furred Rat (
L. flavopunctatus
), with speckled pelage of the same colors. Tail of the Albertine Rift Brush-furred Rat is shorter (60%) than head-body length.
Habitat.
High-elevation Rwandan forest, bush,
Hagenia (Rosaceae)
woodlands, swamps, and Afro-alpine zones at elevations of 2400-4000 m.
Food and Feeding.
No information.
Breeding.
No information.
Activity patterns.
No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
No information.
Status and Conservation.
Not yet assessed on The IUCN Red List.
Bibliography.
Gyldenstolpe (1928), Kerbis Peterhans & Austin (1996), Monadjem et al. (2015), Tuyisingize et al. (2013), Verheyen et al. (2007).