The Elvira rat (''Cremnomys elvira'') is a critically endangered species 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 lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...

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 com ...

. The species was first described by Sir John Ellerman in 1946. It is found only in the

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Description

The Elvira rat reaches a head-and-body length of 149 mm, in addition to a tail of up to 196 mm. Its upper parts are brownish grey and the underparts are greyish white. The tail is bicoloured.

Distribution and habitat

This species is known only from its

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

in the Salem District of the Eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu, where it appears to occur in rocky habitats and dry deciduous scrub forest at elevations of about 600 m above mean sea level.

Conservation

Although exact population sizes are unknown, it is thought that the species is under high pressure from

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

through expansion of human settlements, logging, grazing, and dumping of mining debris. Previously considered

vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

, in 2008 it was upgraded to a conservation status of Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

References

Rats of Asia Cremnomys Rodents of India Mammals described in 1946 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Murinae-stub