Brachywromys betsileoensis
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
Brachywromys
Brachywromys betsileoensis

description: 23. Small Short-tailed Rat <i>Brachywromys betsileoensis</i> <b>French:</b> Petit Ramirohitra / <b>German:</b> Kleine MadagaskarKurzschwanzratte / <b>Spanish:</b> Rata de cola corta pequena <b>Other common names:</b> Betsileo Short-tailed Rat, Lesser Short-tailed Rat <b>Taxonomy.</b> Nesomys betsileoensis Bartlett, 1880, “S.E. Betsileo,” Madagascar. This species is monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Endemic to the Central Highlands and E Madagascar. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 140-184 mm, tail 77-95 mm; weight 96-140 g. Muzzle of the Small Short-tailed Rat is short. Fur is soft and dense, relatively short, and grayish brown with some rufous on dorsum and grayish beige on venter. Ears are short, velvety toward tips, and largely hairless toward bases. Dorsum oftail is black, and venter is distinctly lighter, with fine metallic gray sparse fur. Legs are short, and feet are relatively large. <b>Habitat.</b> Eastern humid montane and sclerophyllous forest at elevations of 900-2450 m. The Small Short-tailed Rat is widely scattered and also occurs in degraded forest areas, agricultural areas (including abandoned rice paddy), and marshlands of different types (edge of open water, grassy meadows). It is known to swim in open and relatively deep water. It is one of the small mammals found above tree line in the summit zone of the Andringitra Massif (2658 m) that experiences temperatures of =7°C and sometimes snow. In the highland marshes of Andringitra and othersites, it has been captured in small mammal runways with piles of grass clippings;it is very vole-like. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Small Short-tailed Rat is presumably completely or largely herbivorous. <b>Breeding.</b> Female Small Short-tailed Rats have three pairs of mammae and maximum litter sizes of two young. Reproduction takes place at least during the southern winter when pregnant and lactating females have been captured and males have enlarged scrotal testes. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Small Short-tailed Rat is cathemeral. Individuals are usually trapped in early morning and toward dusk, but also at night. They are presumed to live in underground burrow systems. They are preyed on by Fosas (Cryptoprocta ferox). <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Small Short-tailed Rat is not necessarily forest-restricted but is known from less than ten localities in eastern Madagascar. It was trapped in the vicinity of a rice field and more than 11 km to the nearest forest. Given its ability to live outside forest-habitat, it appears much more adapted to anthropogenic changes than most species of Nesomyinae. <b>Bibliography.</b> Bennie et al. (2014), Goodman, Langrand &amp; Rasolonandrasana (1997), Goodman, Soarimalala et al. (2013), Jansa &amp; Carleton (2003), Langrand &amp; Goodman (1997), Ramanana (2010), Randriamoria et al. (2015), 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 191, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6600357