| White-tipped tufted-tailed rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Nesomyidae |
| Genus: | Eliurus |
| Species: | E. penicillatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Eliurus penicillatus Thomas, 1908 | |
 | |
| White-tipped tufted-tailed rat range | |
Thewhite-tipped tufted-tailed rat (Eliurus penicillatus) is arodentendemic toMadagascar. It is known from only two specimens, one collected fromAmpitambe forest in 1895 or 1896 and the second in 2000. It is listed by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as anendangered species due tohabitat loss.[1][2]
Thetype specimen was collected in 1895 or 1896 and described by BritishzoologistOldfield Thomas in 1908. It has been considered to be a specimen of Major's tufted-tailed rat (Eliurus majori) but new information confirmed the original identification. This species differs fromE. majori by its white-tippedcaudal tuft.[1]
Little is known about the white-tipped tufted-tailed rat because it is known from only two specimens. The first was collected in 1895 or 1896 from the Ampitambe forest, nearAmbositra inFianarantsoa Province and a second 35 km (21.7 mi) north-east ofFandriana in the Fandriana–Marolambo corridor in 2000. Both specimens were collected from montanehumid forest at an altitude ranging from 900 to 1,670 m (2,952.8 to 5,479.0 ft).[3] It has not been found during surveys in areas to the north and south of its known range.[1]
This species has not been recorded from protected areas. It is thought that it could be threatened by thefragmentation of its humid forest habitat to cultivated land, and it is possible that all species of the subfamilyNesomyinae suffer from a plague carried byintroduced rodents. TheInternational Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the conservation status of this rat as ″endangered ″ because its area of habitation is thought to be less than 5,000 km2 (1,931 sq mi).[1]
