Nolthenius's long-tailed climbing mouse (''Vandeleuria nolthenii''), also known as Sri Lanka highland tree mouse or Podi-gas-miya ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ගස් මීයා), is a species 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 na ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae come ...

. The species is endemic to the highlands of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It is a nocturnal arboreal mouse, which is named after A. C. Tutein-Nolthenius, an amateur zoologist who collected the first specimens in 1929.

Description

The body is – , with a - tail. It has dark reddish brown dorsally and is darker on the back. Underparts gray. Dark brown face. Dark brown tail and ears. Long whiskers are black, short ones are silvery in color. Back fur long, soft, and dense.

References

* de A. Goonatilake, W.I.L.D.P.T.S., Nameer, P.O. & Molur, S. 2008. .
2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Downloaded on 6 October 2009. * Vandeleuria Mammals of Sri Lanka Mammals described in 1929 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Murinae-stub