The Manipur bush rat Hadromys humei: a poorly known endemic rodent at risk of extinction

Abstract

The genus Hadromys comprises two poorly known rodent species: Hadromys humei from northeastern India and Hadromys yunnanensis from China. Despite being described more than a century ago, H. humei remains one of the least studied murid rodents in South Asia. The last confirmed record dates to field investigations conducted in Manipur in 1945, and as of 2026, the species is considered lost, with no confirmed records from the wild for 76 years. Endemic to northeastern India, it has never been recorded from a protected area and is suspected to be threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, fire, and broader land-use change. Current knowledge of the species is based largely on historical records and secondary literature, with no genetic studies conducted to date.