Otomys zinki (Bohmann, 1943)
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6887260 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6811818 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E275-34B6-FF07-E157-2EFE751B845F |
treatment provided by |
Carolina |
scientific name |
Otomys zinki |
status |
|
399. View On
Mount Kilimanjaro Vlei Rat
French: Otomys de Zink / German: Zink-Lamellenzahnratte / Spanish: Rata de laguna de Zink
Other common names: Bohmann's Vlei Rat
Taxonomy. Otomys typus zinki Bohmann, 1943 View in CoL ,
Peters Hut, 3800 m, Kilimanjaro, “German East Africa” (= Tanzania).
Until recently, O. zinki was included in O. typus or O. orestes . Based on recent cytochrome-b phylogeny,it is a distinct species whose sister species is O. simiensis from Ethiopia. Monotypic.
Distribution. Mt Kilimanjaro, N Tanzania. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 135-186 mm, tail 60-108 mm, hindfoot 24-32 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Mount Kilimanjaro Vlei Rat is large and robust, with large blunt head,short tail, and shaggy fur. Fur is deep, soft, and similar in color to the Ethiopian Vlei Rat ( O. typus ). Tail is relatively short (¢.52% of head-body length) and bicolored. Upper incisors have single groove, and lower incisors have one deep and one shallow groove. M| has fourlaminae, and M” has seven laminae.
Habitat. Grassland, forest, and moorland habitats at elevations of 2350-4000 m.
Food and Feeding. The Mount Kilimanjaro Vlei Rat is presumably strictly herbivorous.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. The Mount Kilimanjaro Vlei Rat is presumably diurnal or crepuscular.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red Lust.
Bibliography. Lavrenchenko et al. (1997), Monadjem et al. (2015), Taylor et al. (2011), Yalden, Largen & Kock (1976), Yalden, Largen, Kock & Hillman (1996).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.