Chingawa forest rat
Rodent endemic to Ethiopia
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The Chingawa forest rat (Chingawaemys rarus) is a species of rodent endemic to Ethiopia. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Chingawaemys. It was only described in 2021, when it was discovered during a broad phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Praomyini.[2][3]
| Chingawa forest rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Tribe: | Praomyini |
| Genus: | Chingawaemys Nicolas et al., 2021 |
| Species: | C. rarus |
| Binomial name | |
| Chingawaemys rarus Lavrenchenko, Mikula, & Bryja, 2021 | |
It is thought to have diverged from its closest relatives over 6 million years ago, during the Pliocene. The species inhabits the last remnant of tropical rainforest present in Ethiopia, in an area called Chingawa near the border with South Sudan. It is only known from one specimen collected 15 years prior to description, and researchers have been unable to regain access the type locality of the specimen. The genus is at major risk of extinction due to mass deforestation in the area for coffee production.[4]