Grammomys buntingi (Thomas, 1911)

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 536-884 : 764

457.

Bunting’s Thicket Rat

Grammomys buntingi

French: Grammomys de Bunting / German: Bunting-Akazienmaus / Spanish: Rata de matorral de Bunting Other common names: Bunting’'s Grammomys

Taxonomy. Thamnomys buntingi Thomas, 1911 ,

“Gonyon, Bassa, Liberia.”

Grammomys buntingt was formerly included in G. dolichurus , but wasconsidered distinct by D. R. Rosevear in 1969 and by others. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Africa from S Guinea E to C Ivory Coast; recorded also from two localities in S Senegal .

Descriptive notes. Head-body 100-125 mm, tail 165-180 mm, ear 16-20 mm, hindfoot 24-26 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Bunting’s Thicket Rat has fur olive gray to sandy brown above, with gray flanks, and a creamy-white belly sharply demarcated from dorsal fur by a thin buffy line. Tail is very long (157% of head-body length), semi-prehensile, and presumably tufted. Ears are relatively small. Feet are buffy brown, with four digits on forefoot and five on relatively short hindfoot, the fifth digit longer and semi-opposable. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 52, FN = 66.

Habitat. Primary and secondary rainforest.

Food and Feeding. Bunting’s Thicket Rat feeds on seeds and leaves.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Bunting’s Thicket Rat is assumed to be nocturnal and arboreal, as other members of genus.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Grubb et al. (1998), Happold (2013a), Misonne (1974), Monadjem et al. (2015), Petter & Tranier (1975), Rosevear (1969).

Figures

Distribution. W Africa from S Guinea E to C Ivory Coast; recorded also from two localities in S Senegal .