The brush-furred mice, genus ''Lophuromys'' are a group of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
s found in
sub-Saharan Africa. They are members of the subfamily
Deomyinae, a group only identifiable through
molecular analysis. ''Lophuromys'' is also known as the brush-furred rats, harsh-furred rats or coarse-haired mice.
Characteristics
The brush-furred mice are so named due to the unique, stiff hairs that make up their
pelage
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket ...
. The texture is similar to a soft
brush. They are peculiar looking for several reasons. The coat varies depending on species, but ranges from tan to greenish greys and dark brown. Some species have an almost purplish tint to the pelage and others can be speckled. The underside is rusty, orange, brown, or cream-colored. They are chunky mice with relatively short legs.
Most animals have noticeable
scar
A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a n ...
s, notched ears, or are missing part of their tails. The skin is delicate and the animals appear to use this as a
predator
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
avoidance technique. The tail breaks easily and may be lost so that the animal can escape. Once lost, it does not
regenerate. The skin tears easily, particularly in strategic positions such as the scruff of the neck. In fact, if an animal is held by the scruff of the neck, it is capable of struggling its way free by tearing itself loose, leaving behind a patch of skin containing hair and
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...
. Specimens found in
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
s are rarely seen that lack tears that have been sewn together.
Habitat and diet
Brush-furred mice appear to require moist areas and perhaps
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
es. They are generally excluded from dry
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
hs and forests with dense
canopies. They are variable in degree of
diurnality versus
nocturnality.
They appear to feed more on animal matter than most
muroid
The Muroidea are a large superfamily of rodents, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings, gerbils, and many other relatives. Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia, they occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent excep ...
s. The proportion of animal material in the diet ranges from 40 to 100% depending on species. Food consists of
ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...
s, other
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...
s and
invertebrate
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
s, small
vertebrate
Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, with c ...
s,
carrion, and plant matter.
Behaviour
Brush-furred mice are
solitary
Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to:
* shortened form of solitary confinement
* Solitary animal, an animal that does not live with others in its species
* Solitary but social, a type of social organization ...
and are reported to fight when placed together. This may contribute to the wounds found on individuals. A brush-furred mouse was recorded to have
lived for over 3 years in
captivity.
Allopatric speciation
Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...
appears to have played an important role in shaping the evolution of this genus. Research conducted on the group suggests that isolated species exist a relatively short distance away from one another.
Gene flow is either absent or greatly restricted among these isolated pockets. This has led to differences detectable by
karyotype,
allozymes, and
DNA sequencing. The number of recognized species in this genus has increased in recent years and is probably still not representative of the true diversity of this group.
Species
21 species were accepted in this genus in 2005.
[ This number has grown to 34.][
*** Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys chrysopus''
*** Dieterlen's brush-furred mouse, ''Lophuromys dieterleni''
*** Dudu's brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys dudui''
*** Eisentraut's brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys eisentrauti''
*** Yellow-spotted brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys flavopunctatus''
*** Hutterer's brush-furred mouse, ''Lophuromys huttereri''
*** Kilonzo's brush furred rat, ''Lophuromys kilonzoi''][
*** Machandu's brush furred rat, ''Lophuromys machangui''][
*** Makundi's brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys makundii''][
***]Black-clawed brush-furred rat
The black-clawed brush-furred rat (''Lophuromys melanonyx'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in Ethiopia.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
It is threatened by habitat loss
...
, ''Lophuromys melanonyx''
*** North Western Rift brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys menageshae''[
*** Fire-bellied brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys nudicaudus''
*** Sheko Forest brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys pseudosikapusi''][
*** Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys sikapusi''
*** Verhagen's brush-furred mouse, ''Lophuromys verhageni''
*** Zena's brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys zena''
**Unsorted
***'' Lophuromys laticeps''
***'' Lophuromys margarettae''
***'' Lophuromys rita''
***'' Lophuromys simensis''
*** Stanley's brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys stanleyi'']
References
Further reading
*
*Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. Academic Press Limited, London.
*Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. ''Walker's Mammals of the World'', 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q518880
Lophuromys
Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters