Mahale Wood Mouse

biology_ecology

Reproduction. Of the specimens collected, there were 7 males and 5 females. The reproductive condition of 4 females was inspected: females collected on Aug 25 & 28, 2005 had no embryos (FMNH 177888, 177890) but the former was lactating. Two others were in the early stages of pregnancy: FMNH 178011, collected on 25 Aug., 2003 (CR = 5 mm) and FMNH 193233, collected 9 Nov., 2005 (CR = 7 mm). Habitat. The Mahale Peninsula is predominately covered with Brachystegia (Miombo) woodland, but higher elevations on the Mahale Ridge are covered in montane grasslands and forest (Itani 1990). Forest is also found on the western and southwestern slopes from the ridge at 2400 m down to lowland forests at 780 m on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. The montane forest vegetation is an outlier of the Albertine Rift forests. Over 1,170 plant species, of which 39 are Albertine Rift endemics, have been recorded at Mahale (Nishida & Uehara 1981; Nishida 1990; Plumptre et al. 2007).

Four new species of the Hylomyscus anselli group (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania

description

Description. Size medium (mean HB = 98, CLM 3.74 – 3.85, mean mass = 22 g). Mean tail length 41 % longer than HB. Tail unicolor with ca. 15 annulations per cm. Belly hairs 6 mm, basal 3 mm slate grey, distal 3 mm light brown. Dorsal hairs 10 mm, basal 8 mm slate grey, apical 2 mm light brown. Dorsum of head same color as back. Upper lip with white hairs, dark grey roots. Vibrissae long, black, up to 35 mm in length. Pes dirty white in appearance due to white hairs overlaying darker skin. Manus white. Ears black, hairs inconspicuous. The hind foot possesses the standard murine complement of 6 pads (see Ibe et al. 2014: fig. 2 II for reference); there is a single accessory pad on each of the 1 st and 4 th interdigital pads; the first is large and well-integrated into the 1 st inter-digital pad, while the 4 th is smaller and distinct from the 4 th interdigital pad (Fig. 9 b). There are seven fleshy palatal ridges: two are continuous and pre-dental, one is discontinuous and pre-dental, and the last four are discontinuous and inter-dental (as in Fig. 13). Skull medium (mean ONL = 25.25 mm, mean CLM = 3.8 mm). Rostrum moderate (nasals 34.5 % GLS). Upper incisors orthodont but slightly op

Four new species of the Hylomyscus anselli group (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania

description

urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 2831 AD 81 - B 8 BF- 41 FC- 82 D 3 - 35 F 2069 C 016 A

Four new species of the Hylomyscus anselli group (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania

diagnosis

Diagnosis. A member of the H. anselli group with a short rostrum (nasals are 34.5 % of ONL, Table 4), posterior palatal foramen located posteriorly (at the first lamina of M 2, Figs 8 c, 12 c), and maxillo-palatal suture located posteriorly – either between second and third lamina of M 1 or at level of third lamina of M 1 (Figs 8 c, 12 c). Zygomatic plate slightly sinuous in lateral view. Sub-squamosal fenestra moderate (ca. 25 – 30 % of postglenoid foramen; i. e., Carleton & Stanley 2005: fig. 6; Fig. 12 e). Incisive foramina penetrate the alveoli of the upper tooth row (Figs 8 c, 12 c). Frontoparietal suture shallowly U-shaped. Comparisons. A mid-sized member of the Hylomyscus anselli group with an upper molar crown length ca. 3.8 mm, needing comparison only with H. kerbispeterhansi and H. arcimontensis. It is unique among these three in the location of its posterior palatal foramina, located at the beginning of the second molar (Figs 8 c, 12 c); in H. kerbispeterhansi it is located at the third lamina of the M 1, while in H. arcimontensis it is located between M 1 and M 2. The morphometrics of H. mpungamachagorum align closely with H. arcimontensis; indeed, it falls completely w

Four new species of the Hylomyscus anselli group (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania