421.

Common Defua Rat

Dephomys defua

French: Déphomys de Miller / German: Defua-Ratte / Spanish: Rata defua comun

Other common names: Defua Dephomys, Defua Rat

Taxonomy. Mus defua G. S. Miller, 1900,

Mt Coffee, Liberia.

Dephomys defua was previously considered to include D. eburneae as a subspecies, but the two clearly differ in chromosomal, cranial, and dental characters. Monotypic.

Distribution. Rainforests in W Africa, from Sierra Leone to Togo.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 112-136 mm, tail 184—195 mm, ear 16-20 mm, hindfoot 25-27 mm; weight 57-68 g. Fur is long and sleek, reddish brown and black-flecked above, with a brighter orange rump, and gray below. Tailis relatively long (160% of head—body length) and black, with fine scales and bristles. Head is long and thin with dark long vibrissae. Ears are small and rounded, and sparsely haired. Feet are white or light brown above, with four digits on forefoot and five on hindfoot.

Habitat. Pristine rainforest, as well as secondary growth, forest clearings, grassland, and cocoa and oil palm plantations.

Food and Feeding. Common Defua Rats feed mostly on vegetable material, and also take some insects.

Breeding. Lactating or pregnant females have been recorded in February and November.

Activity patterns. Common Defua Rats are nocturnal and possibly partly arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Cole (1975), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Tranier& Dosso (1979), Van der Straeten (1984).