East African Vlei Rat
Otomys tropicalis Thomas, 1902
Also calledDollman-Lamellenzahnratte (deu) · Ostafrika-Lamellenzahnratte (deu) · Otomys tropical (fra) · Rat du vlei tropical (fra) · keniankorvarotta (fin) · uszkor tropikalny (pol) · Тропическая болотная крыса (rus) · ネッタイヤブカローネズミ (jpn)
First described in: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7 vol.10 p.314
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
discussion
Discussion: Regarded as conspecific with O. irroratus by Bohmann (1952) and accordingly recognized in regional treatments (Delany, 1975; Kingdon, 1974 b); however, others have recognized eastern African tropicalis as morphologically divergent and specifically distinct from the southern African O. irroratus (De Graaff, 1981; Meester et al., 1986; Misonne, 1974; Musser and Carleton, 1993; Taylor and Kumirai, 2001). Even removed from O. irroratus and divorced of burtoni and dollmani (see those accounts), at least three assemblages are apparent among the populations embraced by this nominal species. The taxon tropicalis in the strict sense inhabits middle to upper slopes, 2300 - 4000 m (specimens in USNM), of Mt Kenya and Aberdare Mtns. Examples of the elgonis complex (also faradjius, ghigii?, giloensis, nubilus, vivax) exhibit a dark russet-brown pelage that is somewhat sleek and moderately long; tail relatively longer; skull flatter, nasals narrower and flaring less abruptly; M 3 with 7 laminae, upper incisors wider and medial sulcus of lower incisor faint. As noted by Hollister (1919), this dark-brown form occurs on the lower western slopes of Mount Kenya (2150 m; USNM 164277), seem
Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
distribution
Distribution: S Sudan, S Ethiopia, NE and E Dem. Rep. Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, W Kenya, and NE Tanzania; limits unknown.
Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
discussion
COMMENTS: Regarded as conspecific with O. irroratus by Bohmann (1952) and accordingly recognized in regional treatments (Delany, 1975; Kingdon, 1974); however, others have maintained the southern African form irroratus as specifically distinct from eastern African tropicalis (De Graaff, 1981; Meester et al., 1986; Misonne, 1974). Even so, the taxa herein assembled under tropicalis (after Misonne, 1974) remain a composite of two or more species, whose definition and range will require careful revisionary work, involving simultaneous attention to possible relationships with species-group taxa now lumped under O. typus (see next account).
Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
distribution
DISTRIBUTION: Irregular highland distribution in W Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and bordering Zaire; outlying populations on Mount Cameroon.
Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
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Every page naming Otomys tropicalis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 5219867.