Praomys obscurus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	MURIDAE

Scientific Name:	Praomys obscurus
Species Authority:	Hutterer & Dieterlen, 1992
Taxonomic Notes:	Taxonomic revision of Praomys hartwigi split the taxon into P. hartwigi (endemic to Cameroon) and P. obscurus (endemic to Nigeria) (E. van der Straeten pers. comm., June 2002).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Endangered B1ab(iii) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

van der Straeten, E.

Reviewer/s:

Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Cox, N. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
Listed as Endangered because it is endemic to the Gotel Mountains in Nigeria. This is a very restricted area (less than 2,000 km²) covered by montane grassland, narrow strips of mountain scrub alongside streams and a few patches of forest. Within this small area P. obscurus is present only in the forest. The species, although not abundant, is also not that rare in the Gotel Mountains. However, it is threatened by loss of habitat due to deforestation for agriculture (crops and livestock), logging and removal of firewood and timber for building materials.

History:

2004	–	Endangered
2002	–	Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is endemic to the Gotel Mountains in southeastern Nigeria. It ranges from 1,600 to 2,400 m asl.
Countries:	Native: Nigeria
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is known from two localities, there are not many specimens in collections, and it is not thought to be abundant.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It occurs in montane forest. This species does not occur in modified habitats.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is threatened by deforestation, presumably largely through logging operations and the conversion of land to agricultural and other uses.

Major Threat(s):

This species is threatened by deforestation, presumably largely through logging operations and the conversion of land to agricultural and other uses.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	It has not been recorded from any protected areas. There is a need to develop protected areas to maintain the forest habitat of this species.

Conservation Actions:

It has not been recorded from any protected areas. There is a need to develop protected areas to maintain the forest habitat of this species.

Citation:	van der Straeten, E. 2008. Praomys obscurus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2013.
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