588.

Stella Wood Mouse

Hylomyscus stella

French: Hylomysque stella / German: Stella-Afrikawaldmaus / Spanish: Raton de bosque de estela

Other common names: Stella Hylomyscus

Taxonomy. Epimys stella Thomas, 1911, “Ituri Forest between Mawambi and Avakubi, Eastern Congo [= DR Congo].”

Hylomyscus stella is in the H. alleni species group. Monotypic.

Distribution. E parts of Congo Basin in DR Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, extending to the N shores of Lake Victoria in S Uganda.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 72-104 mm, tail 111-140 mm, ear 11-17 mm, hindfoot 17-20 mm; weight 14-24 g. Fur ofthe Stella Wood Mouse is rufous brown above and grayish white to silvery white below, with clear demarcation of ventral and dorsal color. Tailis very long (c.150% of head-body length), pale, and sparsely covered with very short pale hair. Ears are large and rounded, slightly pigmented, with very short hair. Hindfeet are short and broad, and fifth digit is opposable. Females have four pairs of nipples. Incisors are orthodont. Chromosomal complement varies geographically: 2n = 46, FN = 70-72 in DR Congo and 2n = 48, FN = 86 in Burundi.

Habitat. Various forest types from lowland rainforests to bamboo forests at elevations of 800-2250 m, usually occupying densetangles of vegetation in lower canopies.

Food and Feeding. In eastern DR Congo, the Stella Wood Mouse ate vegetative material and insects. Captive individuals ate 35 species offruits.

Breeding. Stella Wood Mice reproduce year-round, with peaks in wet season. Gestation is 29-5 days—relatively long for such a small rodent. In eastern DR Congo, pregnancy rate varied from 8% in dry season to 80% in main wet season. Mean number of embryos varied seasonally from two to 4-5.

Activity patterns. Stella Wood Mice are nocturnal and mainly arboreal but partly terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Delany (1971), Dieterlen (1985a), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Nicolas, Wendelen et al. (2008).