Thomas's Ethiopian brush-furred rat

Thomas's Ethiopian brush-furred rat (Lophuromys brunneus), also called the brown brush-furred rat or the brown brush-furred mouse, is a species of brush-furred mouse from Southern Ethiopia.

Description
The holotype had a body 125 mm long and a tail 80 mm long. The body is a pale brown with a pale brown or clay-colored belly.

Range and habitat
L. brunneus is endemic to the highlands of Southern Ethiopia, from the Semien Mountains to Manno-Jimma. The type locality is around the Omo River.

History
It was originally described as a subspecies of Lophuromys aquilus (L. aquilus brunneus) in 1906 by Oldfield Thomas, from a specimen collected 13 May 1905. It was reclassified as a subspecies of Lophuromys flavopunctatus in 1936 as a synonym to subspecies L. flavopunctatus zaphiri. In 2002, it was elevated to species status.

Phylogeny
The species is closely related to the Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat (Lophuromys chrysopus). It is believed to have interbred with L. flavopunctatus.