399.

Mount Kilimanjaro Vlei Rat

Otomys zinki

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,

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.

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).