384.

Ethiopian Vlei Rat

Otomys typus

French: Otomys d’Ethiopie / German: Athiopien-Lamellenzahnratte / Spanish: Rata de laguna de Etiopia

Other common names: Typical Vlei Rat

Taxonomy. Oreomys typus Heuglin, 1877,

Simien Mountains, Gonder Province, Ethiopia . Otomys typus previously included many disjunct alpine mountain populations in an improbably wide distribution from Ethiopia to Malawi; however, O. typus was found to be a species complex of at least twelve different species, mostly restricted to individual or neighboring mountain ranges, as outlined by P. J. Taylor and colleagues in 2011. As defined here, O. typus sensu stricto is restricted mostly to mountains west of Ethiopian Rift. It co-occurs with O. simiensis in Simien Mountains, but the two species can be distinguished chromosomally and by number of laminae on M? (6-7 in simiensis and 8-9 in typus). Monotypic.

Distribution. Ethiopia, fairly widespread in the W Ethiopian highlands and at least one locality (Hirna) E of Ethiopian Rift.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 155-178 mm,tail 77-92 mm, ear 20-25 mm, hindfoot 25-27 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Ethiopian Vlei Rat is large and robust, with large blunt head, short tail, and shaggy fur. Fur is speckled bright tawny brown above and gray below. Tail is short (c.51% of head-body length) and bicolored. Females have four pairs of nipples. Upper incisors have single groove, and lower incisors have two deep grooves. M has four laminae, and M? has 8-9 laminae. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 58 and FNa = 58.

Habitat. Dense, moist grasslands at elevations of 1800-4000 m.

Food and Feeding. The Ethiopian Vlei Rat is presumably strictly herbivorous.

Breeding. Reproduction seems to be seasonal in Simien Mountains where rainfall is seasonal.

Activity patterns. The Ethiopian Vlei Rat is diurnal and nocturnal in Simien Mountains and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Monadjem et al. (2015), Miller (1977), Taylor et al. (2011), Yalden et al. (1976).