Saunder's vlei rat
| Saunder's vlei rat | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Otomys |
| Species: | O. saundersiae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Otomys saundersiae Roberts, 1929
| |
Saunder's vlei rat (Otomys saundersiae) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.[2] It is found only in South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
Taxonomy
Saunder's vlei rat was described by Austin Roberts, a South African zoologist.[3] Roberts originally described this taxon as a subspecies of tugelensis (Otomys angoniensis) in his 1929 description, but in 1951 he raised it to full species status.[4] The species was named after Enid Saunders.[3]
The form karoensis, found in Western Cape Province, has been treated by some authors as a distinct species (G. M. Allen, 1939; Bohmann, 1952; Roberts, 1931; Taylor et al., 1993), while others have considered it a distinctive subspecies of Otomys saundersiae.[5]
References
- ^ Taylor, P.J.; Maree, S. (2008). "Otomys saundersiae". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T15658A4967728. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T15658A4967728.en (inactive 16 September 2025).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2025 (link) - ^ Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn (2005-12-31), Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Third edition, volume 2, Zenodo, doi:10.5281/ZENODO.7316535, retrieved 2026-03-10
- ^ a b Beolens, Bo (2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Michael Watkins, Michael Grayson (1st ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-9533-3.
- ^ Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn. "Order Rodentia - Family Muridae". Ann. Transvaal Mus. 13: 115. doi:10.15468/qvyruc.
- ^ "Otomys saundersiae Roberts 1929". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
- Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1529. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.