Nesomys rufus Peters 1870

27. Red Forest Rat Nesomys rufus French: Nésomys roux / German: Rote Inselratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque roja Other common names: Eastern Red Forest Rat, Rufous Nesomys Taxonomy. Nesomys rufus Peters, 1870, “Ein getrocknetes mannliches Exemplar aus Vohima,” Madagascar. This species is monotypic. Distribution. Endemic to N & E Madagascar. Descriptive notes. Head-body 170-200 mm, tail 160-180 mm; weight 135-185 g. Dorsum of the Red Forest Rat is reddish brown, often mixed with black hair especially in middle of back and more saturated with red along flanks. Venter ranges from uniform rusty red, with some parts, particularly along midline, off-white. Ears are moderately long. Proximal part of tail has short and sparse black hair that becomes progressively slightly longer; distal 8-20 mm oftail is white. Legs, feet, and toes are dark brown. Habitat. Eastern humid lowland and montane forest at elevations of 650-2000 m. The Red Forest Ratis distinctly uncommon above elevations of 1900 m, and occurs sympatrically with Audebert’s Forest Rat (N. audeberti) at certain locations. Food and Feeding. The Red Forest Rat eats seeds of different forest trees, including Cryptocarya (Lauraceae), Canarium (Burseraceae), and Sloanea (Elaecocarpaceae), and caches fatrich seeds such as Canarium. It has been observed in areas of slash-and-burn agriculture within short distances of relatively intact native forest. Breeding. Reproductive season of the Red Forest Rat is from mid-Octoberto late December. Females have three pairs of mammae and are known to have litters of up to four young. Activity patterns. The Red Forest Rat is diurnal and terrestrial, tending to be crepuscular. It lives in complex underground burrow systems, with numerous holes and often placed in root complexes. Burrows have sections with freshly clipped plant material and sleeping chambers with finer plant material. It is preyed on by snakes (boas and the genus Pseudoxyrhopus) and carnivores such as the Ring-tailed Vontsira (Galidia elegans) and the Fosa (Cryproproctaferox). Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home range of the Red Forest Rat has been calculated to average 0-5 ha. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Red Forest Rat is strictly forest-dwelling and is known from widely separated localities across much of the eastern humid forests of Madagascar. It occurs in lowland formations that have been drastically reduced in their extent due to human pressure, and the mediumand long-term future in that habitat is uncertain. Bibliography. Cadle (1999), Carleton & Schmidt (1990), Carleton, Smeenk et al. (2014), Goodman & Carleton (1996), Goodman etal. (2013), Ryan (2003), Ryan et al. (1993), Soarimalala & Goodman (2011), Soarimalala etal. (2001).
Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Nesomyidae, pp. 156-203 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 192, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6600357