583.

Beaded Wood Mouse

Hylomyscus aeta

French: Hylomysque de Thomas / German: Perlen-Afrikawaldmaus / Spanish: Raton de bosque de borde

Other common names: Beaded Hylomyscus

Taxonomy. Epimys aeta Thomas, 1911, “Bitye, Ja [= Dja] River, S.E. Cameroon.” Hylomyscus aeta probably includes at least one additional cryptic species. Monotypic.

Distribution. From S Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko I), and Gabon E through the Congo Basin to the Albertine Rift.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 78- 114 mm, tail 118161 mm, ear 15-18 mm, hindfoot 20-23 mm; weight 14-39 g. Fur

of the Beaded Wood Mouse is soft, with few longer guard hairs (guard hairs lacking in other species of Hylomyscus), cinnamon-brown above and pure white below. Venter and dorsum are sharply divided along flanks by buffy line. Tail is very long (c.145% of head-body length), with short hairs at tip. Ears and eyes are large relative to head. Rostrum is short and blunt, with long vibrissae. Upper surfaces of forefeet and hind-feet are covered with white hairs. Hindfoot is broad, and fifth digit is opposable and almost as long as second to fourth digits. Females have three pairs of nipples. Incisors are opisthodont. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 54 and FN = 86.

Habitat. Rainforest, abundant in dense understories. In western Cameroon and Bioko Island, Beaded Wood Mice occur at elevations of 1200-2100 m.

Food and Feeding. The Beaded Wood Mouse eats fruit, seeds, and insects, preferring fruits in dry season and insects in wet season.

Breeding. Litters of Beaded Wood Mice have 2-3 young.

Activity patterns. The Beaded Wood Mouse is arboreal and nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Eisentraut (1969), Genest-Villard (1980), Happold (2013a), Malcolm & Ray (2000), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005).