Otomys irroratus
Taxonomy [top]
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | MAMMALIA | RODENTIA | MURIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Otomys irroratus | |||
| Species Authority: | (Brants, 1827) | |||
Common Name/s:
|
||||
| Taxonomic Notes: | This may be a species complex. There are four distinct chromosomal forms which may prove to be separate species (Taylor 2000). | |||
Assessment Information [top]
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 | ||||||
| Year Assessed: | 2008 | ||||||
| Assessor/s: | Taylor, P.J., Maree, S. & Monadjem, A. | ||||||
| Reviewer/s: | Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Cox, N. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) | ||||||
|
Justification: Listed as Least Concern because it is relatively widespread, it is common, and its population is not believed to be in decline at present. Additional taxonomic studies might reveal this taxon to be comprised of several species for which a review of the Red List Assessment will be necessary. |
|||||||
| History: |
|
||||||
Geographic Range [top]
| Range Description: | This species is known from coastal and eastern South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, and the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe and into neighbouring areas of Mozambique. It is known from above 900 m asl. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Lesotho; Mozambique; South Africa; Swaziland; Zimbabwe
|
| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
Population [top]
| Population: | It is a common species. |
| Population Trend: |
Stable
|
Habitat and Ecology [top]
| Habitat and Ecology: | It is known from grassland and marshes, as well as timber plantations. |
| Systems: | Terrestrial |
Threats [top]
| Major Threat(s): | There are no major threats to this species at present. |
Conservation Actions [top]
| Conservation Actions: | The range of the species includes several protected areas. |
Bibliography [top]
|
Lynch, C. D. 1994. The mammals of Lesotho. Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum Bloemfontein 10(4): 177-241. Musser, G. G. and Carleton, M. D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. In: D. E. Wilson and D. A. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World: a geographic and taxonomic reference, pp. 894-1531. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA. Petter, F. 1982. Les parentes des Otomys du Mont Oku (Cameroun) et des autres formes rapportees a O. irroratus (Brants, 1827) (Rodentia, Muridae). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 33: 215-222. Skinner, J. D. and Chimimba, C. T. 2005. The mammals of southern Africa subregion. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Taylor, P. 1998. The smaller mammals of KwaZulu-Natal. University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Taylor, P. J. and Kumirai, A. 2001. Craniometric relationships between the Southern African vlei rat, Otomys irroratus (Rodentia, Muridae, Otomyinae) and allied species from north of the Zambezi River. In: C. Denys, L. Granjon and A. Poulet (eds), African small mammals, pp. 161-181. IRD Éditions, Collection Colloques et Séminaires, Paris, France. |
| Citation: | Taylor, P.J., Maree, S. & Monadjem, A. 2008. Otomys irroratus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 10 February 2012. |
| Disclaimer: | To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>. |
| Feedback: | If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided |