Nolthenius's Long Tailed Climbing Mouse

Nolthenius's long-tailed climbing mouse (Vandeleuria nolthenii), also known as Sri Lanka highland tree mouse or Podi-gas-miya (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා ගස් මීයා), is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. The species is endemic to the highlands of Sri Lanka. It is a nocturnal arboreal mouse, which is named after A. C. Tutein-Nolthenius, an amateur zoologist who collected the first specimens in 1929.^[2]

Description

The body is 8 cm (3 in) – 9 cm (4 in), with a 12 cm (5 in) - 13 cm (5 in) tail. It has dark reddish brown dorsally and is darker on the back. Underparts gray. Dark brown face. Dark brown tail and ears. Long whiskers are black, short ones are silvery in color. Back fur long, soft, and dense.

References

• de A. Goonatilake, W.I.L.D.P.T.S., Nameer, P.O. & Molur, S. 2008. Vandeleuria nolthenii. 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 6 October 2009.
• Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.