Lophuromys (Lophuromys) eisentrauti Dieterlen 1978

Lophuromys (Lophuromys) eisentrauti Dieterlen 1978, Bonn. Zool. Beitr., Vol. 29: 296.

Type Locality: West Cameroon, Bamenda-Banso highlands, Mt Lefo, 2550 m (Hutterer et al., 1992 a; W. Verheyen et al., 1997) .

Vernacular Names: Mount Lefo Brush-furred Rat.

Distribution: An isolated patch of montane forest on Mt Lefo and so far recorded only from the type locality.

Discussion: Subgenus Lophuromys, L. aquilus species group (W. Verheyen et al., 2000). Dieterlen (1979 b) described eisentrauti as a subspecies of L. sikapusi but Hutterer et al. (1992 a) were so impressed by the small body size of eisentrauti ("a dwarf form") relative to that of L. sikapusi from the surrounding region that they raised it to the rank of species. A morphometric revision of Lophuromys from the mountain forest archipelago of W Cameroon and SE Nigeria corroborated the specific status of eisentrauti and identified L. dieterleni, endemic to nearby Mt Oku in the Gotel Mtns, as its closest phylogenetic relative (W. Verheyen et al., 1997). See account of L. dieterleni .