The brush-furred mice,
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Lophuromys'', are a group of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...
s found in
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
. They are members of the subfamily
Deomyinae
The subfamily Deomyinae consists of four genera of mouse-like rodents that were previously placed in the subfamilies Murinae and Dendromurinae. They are sometimes called the Acomyinae, particularly in references that antedate the discovery that t ...
, a group only identifiable through
molecular analysis
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
. ''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
A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all 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 ...
. The texture is similar to a soft
brush
A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during u ...
. 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 fibrosis, 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 Organ (anatomy), organs, and biological tissue, t ...
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 in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
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
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 ...
and fur. It is rare to find specimens in
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
s without sewn-up tears.
Habitat and diet
Brush-furred mice appear to require moist areas and perhaps
grass
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...
es. They are generally excluded from dry
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
hs and forests with dense
canopies. They are variable in degree of
diurnality
Diurnality is a form of plant and ethology, animal behavior characterized by activity during daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The common adjective used for daytime activity is "diurnal". The timing of activity by ...
versus
nocturnal
Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatur ...
ity.
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 except ...
s. The proportion of animal material in the diet ranges from 40 to 100% depending on species. Food consists of
ant
Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
s, other
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s and
invertebrate
Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...
s, small
vertebrate
Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain.
The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...
s,
carrion
Carrion (), also known as a carcass, is the decaying flesh of dead animals.
Overview
Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...
, and plant matter.
Behaviour
Brush-furred mice are
solitary
Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to:
* ''Solitary'' (album), 2008 album by Don Dokken
* ''Solitary'' (2020 film), a British sci-fi thriller film
* ''Solitary'' (upcoming film), an American drama film
* "S ...
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
Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...
.
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
In population genetics, gene flow (also known as migration and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic variation, genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent ...
is either absent or greatly restricted among these isolated pockets. This has led to differences detectable by
karyotype
A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is discerned by de ...
,
allozyme
Alloenzymes (or also called allozymes) are variant forms of an enzyme which differ structurally but not functionally from other allozymes coded for by different alleles at the same locus. These are opposed to isozymes, which are enzymes that p ...
s, and
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The ...
. 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.]Gray brush-furred rat
The gray brush-furred rat (''Lophuromys aquilus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical moist montane ...
, ''Lophuromys aquilus''
***Short-tailed brush-furred rat
The short-tailed brush-furred rat (''Lophuromys brevicaudus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Ethiopia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland and subtropical or tropical high- ...
, ''Lophuromys brevicaudus''
*** Thomas's Ethiopian brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys brunneus''
*** Mount Chercher brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys chercherensis''[
***]Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat
The Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat or golden-footed brush-furred rat (''Lophuromys chrysopus''), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Ethiopia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests ...
, ''Lophuromys chrysopus''
***Dieterlen's brush-furred mouse
Dieterlen's brush-furred mouse, Mt Oku brush-furred mouse, or Mount Oku brush-furred rat (''Lophuromys dieterleni'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Mount Oku, Cameroon. Its natural habitat is montane forest
Mon ...
, ''Lophuromys dieterleni''
*** Dudu's brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys dudui''
*** Eisentraut's brush-furred rat, ''Lophuromys eisentrauti''
***Yellow-spotted brush-furred rat
The yellow-spotted brush-furred rat (''Lophuromys flavopunctatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Its na ...
, ''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
Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters