Eliurus myoxinus Milne-Edwards 1885
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Nesomyidae
Eliurus
Eliurus myoxinus

description: 11. Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Rat <i>Eliurus myoxinus</i> <b>French:</b> Rat-loir de Milne-Edwards / <b>German:</b> Milne-Edwards-Bilchschwanz / <b>Spanish:</b> Rata de cola de penacho de Milne-Edwards <b>Other common names:</b> \Vestern Tuft-tailed Rat <b>Taxonomy.</b> Eliurus myoxinus Milne-Edwards, 1885, “cote ouest de Madagascar.” Modified by P. Rode in 1945 to “Foréts de Tsilambany,” which M. D. Carleton and D. F. Schmidt in 1990 considered a collection locality by A. Grandidier at “Riv. Tsilambana,” approximately 656 km SSE Morondava. Phylogeographic work indicates distinct geographical structure and possible cryptic species of E. myoxinus. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Endemic to N, W &amp; S Madagascar. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 117-136 mm,tail 125-167 mm; weight 51-75 g. Dorsum of Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Ratis grayish brown, with obvious line on flank separating back from off-white venter. Ears are proportionately small compared with most other species of Eliurus. Distal one-half oftail is black or dark brown that becomes denser and longer toward tip, often forming distinct brush. Tarsi are gray, and feet and toes are white. <b>Habitat.</b> Dry deciduous and spiny bush formations from sea level to elevations of c.900 m (virtually all of the western one-half of Madagascar) and eastern humid forest formations (far north) at elevations of 700-1250 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Rat is presumed to be granivorous and probably consumes fruits. <b>Breeding.</b> During the breeding season, Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Rats occupy arboreal nests or ground burrows. Nests are constructed with leaves and small branches or in tree holes located 2-6 m off the ground. In captivity, gestation is 24 days, and some females, which have three pairs of mammae, can have four litters a year; maximum litter size is four young. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Rat is nocturnal and scansorial. It occupies ground burrows and readily moves in woody vegetation, including vertical tree trunks and moderate to thin horizontal branches. It is preyed on by barn owls (7yto alba) and Fosas (Cryptoprocta ferox). <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Rat occurs in low density, but recent work, perhaps with different baits and trap types used by earlier researchers, has found moderate densities that can vary considerably by season. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Milne-Edwards’s Tufted-tail Rat is forest-dwelling and is known from numerous localities in the western one-half of Madagascar and in the north-east. These habitats are exposed to extensive human pressure, and its mediumand long-term future is uncertain. <b>Bibliography.</b> Carleton (1994, 2003), Carleton &amp; Schmidt (1990), Dollar et al. (2007), Goodman et al. (2013), Hawkins &amp; Racey (2008), Petter &amp; Randrianasolo (1961), Randrianjafy (2003), Randrianjafy et al. (2007), Rasoma &amp; Goodman (2007), Rode (1945), Shi et al. (2013), Soarimalala &amp; Goodman (2011).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier &amp; Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Nesomyidae, pp. 156-203 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 187, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6600357