Charada vlei rat

Species of rodent

Charada vlei rat
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Muridae
Genus:	Otomys
Species:	O. fortior
Binomial name
*Otomys fortior* Thomas, 1906^[2]

Charada vlei rat (Otomys fortior) is a species of rodent in the family of Muridae. It is endemic to southwestern Ethiopia.^[1]^[3]

Taxonomy

Thomas (1906) initially described this species under the name Otomys typus fortior. It was then elevated to species status by Dollmann (1915). It was again re-included under O. typus (Ethiopian vlei rat) in the classification by Allen in 1939. Taylor et al. (2011) would be moved back Otomys fortior to species status, arguing that the biogeographical and ecological separation of the species from the other members of the genus in the region was sufficient.^[4]^[1]

Conservation

It is known from less than 10 locations in Ethiopia and its population is suggested to be declining as well as its habitat, hence the assessment of the species as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Taylor, P.; Relton, C. (2021). "Otomys fortior". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T48009551A48010683. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T48009551A48010683.en.
^ Thomas, Oldfield (October 1906). "XLI.— New mammals collected in North-East Africa by Mr. Zaphiro, and presented to the British Museum by W. N. M c Millan, Esq" (PDF). Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 18 (106): 300–306. doi:10.1080/00222930608562614. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
^ "Otomys fortior (id=1003400)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
^ Taylor, Peter J.; Lavrenchenko, Leonid A.; Carleton, Michael D.; Verheyen, Erik; Bennett, Nigel C.; Oosthuizen, Carel J.; Maree, Sarita (13 September 2011). "Specific limits and emerging diversity patterns in East African populations of laminate-toothed rats, genus Otomys (Muridae: Murinae: Otomyini): Revision of the Otomys typus complex" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3024 (1): 1–66. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.3024.1.1. S2CID 59381852. Retrieved 20 February 2023.

Extant species of subfamily Murinae (Otomys)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordate
Class: Mammalia
Superorder: Euarchontoglires
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae

Myotomys
(African karoo rats)

Sloggett's vlei rat (M. sloggetti)
Bush vlei rat (M. unisulcatus)

Otomys
(Vlei rats)

Angolan vlei rat (O. anchietae)
Angoni vlei rat (O. angoniensis)
Barbour's vlei rat (O. barbouri)
Burton's vlei rat (O. burtoni)
Cheesman's vlei rat (O. cheesmani)
Cuanza vlei rat (O. cuanzensis)
Ruwenzori vlei rat (O. dartmouthi)
Dent's vlei rat (O. denti)
Dollman's vlei rat (O. dollmani)
Charada vlei rat (O. fortior)
Heller's vlei rat (O. helleri)
Southern African vlei rat (O. irroratus)
Mount Elgon vlei rat (O. jacksoni)
Tanzanian vlei rat (O. lacustris)
Laminate vlei rat (O. laminatus)
Large vlei rat (O. maximus)
Western vlei rat (O. occidentalis)
Afroalpine vlei rat (O. orestes)
Saunder's vlei rat (O. saundersiae)
Simien vlei rat (O. simiensis)
Thomas's vlei rat (O. thomasi)
Tropical vlei rat (O. tropicalis)
Typical vlei rat (O. typus)
Uzungwe vlei rat (O. uzungwensis)
Yalden's vlei rat (O. yaldeni)
Mount Kilimanjaro vlei rat (O. zinki)

Parotomys
(Whistling rats)

Brants's whistling rat (P. brantsii)
Littledale's whistling rat (P. littledalei)

See also: Aethomys–Chrotomys; Colomys–Golunda; Hadromys–Maxomys; Melasmothrix–Mus; Oenomys–Pithecheir; Pogonomys–Pseudomys; Rattus; Stenocephalomys–Xeromys; Others