388.

Barbour’s Vlei Rat

Otomys barbouri

French: Otomys de Barbour / German: BarbourLamellenzahnratte / Spanish: Rata de laguna de Barbour

Taxonomy. Otomys barbouri Lawrence & Loveridge, 1953,

“Kaburomi, 1°14’N., 34°21’E., 10,500 feet [= 3200 m], Mount Elgon, Uganda.”

Otomys barbouri previously was included in O. anchietae . Monotypic.

Distribution. Mt Elgon in Uganda and Kenya.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 125- 210 mm, tail 57-96 mm, ear 21-28 mm, hindfoot 23-30 mm; weight 78-161 g.

Barbour’s Vlei Rat is large and robust, with large blunt head, short tail, and shaggy fur. Dorsum is dull reddish brown speckled with black, slightly paler on flanks, and distinctly paler below. Tail is short (c.45% of head-body length) and blackish-brown with short bristles. Females have two pairs of nipples. Upper and lower incisors each have single groove. M, has five laminae, M? has seven or occasionally eight laminae.

Habitat. Alpine grassy and shrubby meadows and swamps on mesic soils at elevations above 3000 m.Barbour’s Vlei Rat avoids tussock grasses ( Festuca pilgeri, Poaceae) on drier soils where the Mount Elgon Vlei Rat ( O. jacksoni) occurs.

Food and Feeding. Barbour’s Vlei Rats eat grasses (mostly Festuca pilgeri) and leaves and flowers of composites (mainly Helichrysum, Asteraceae).

Breeding. Reproduction occurs year-round, with juveniles c.10% of the population at any time of year. Litter size is one; females can produce more than one litter per year.

Activity patterns. Barbour’s Vlei Rat is diurnal and territorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Barbour’s Vlei Rats are solitary and non-territorial, with overlapping home ranges of 0-21-2461 m?® that do not vary significantly by sex or season. Despite temperatures that fall below freezing, they do not make nests or huddle in groups.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Clausnitzer (2000, 2003), Clausnitzer & Kityo (2001), Dieterlen & Van der Straeten (1992), Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Taylor, Maree, Cotterill et al. (2014), Taylor, Maree, van Sandwyk, Kerbis Peterhans etal. (2009).