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 Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. ...

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

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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 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 or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

through expansion of human settlements, logging, grazing, and dumping of mining debris. Previously considered vulnerable, in 2008 it was upgraded to a conservation status of

Critically Endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

References

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