391.

Dollman’s Vlei Rat

Otomys dollmani

French: Otomys de Dollman / German: Dollman-Lamellenzahnratte / Spanish: Rata de laguna de Dollman

Taxonomy. Otomys orestes dollmani Heller, 1912,

Mount Gargues (Urguess), 7000 ft (= 2130 m), Matthews Range, Kenya.

Otomys dollmani previously was included under O. orestes, O. irroratus, or O. tropicalis but was shown to be morphologically distinct (small size and dark color, with relatively long tail and six laminae on M?). Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Mt Gargues, Mathews Range, C Kenya.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 138-150 mm, tail 85-105 mm, hindfoot 23-27 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Dollman’s Vlei Ratis relatively large and robust, with large blunt head, short tail, and shaggy fur. Dorsum is dark brown. Tail 1s relatively long for Otomys (c.63% of head-body length). Upper and lowerincisors each have deep and shallow grooves. M, has four laminae, and M?® hassix laminae.

Habitat. Forest zone near summit of Mount Gargues.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Dollman’s 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. Carleton & Byrne (2006), Hollister (1919), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Taylor et al. (2011).