Lemniscomys mittendorfi Eisentraut 1968

Lemniscomys mittendorfi Eisentraut 1968, Bonn. Zool. Beitr., Vol. 19: 7.

Type Locality: West Cameroon, Banso Highlands, Lake Oku on Mt Oku, 2100 m.

Vernacular Names: Mittendorf's Lemniscomys.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Conservation: IUCN – Endangered.

Discussion: Described as a subspecies of L. striatus, included in that species by Misonne (1974), but treated as separate by Van der Straeten and Verheyen (1980), who also suggested it has morphometric affinities with L. macculus and L. bellieri . Fülling (1992) contrasted samples of L. mittendorfi and L. striatus and documented differences in morphology of palatal ridges and karyotype (2n = 56, FN = 66-72 for L. mittendorfi; 2n = 44, FN = 72 for L. striatus). Eisentraut (1973) discussed the species and L. striatus in the context of a monograph of the West African fauna, in which he provided a color plate contrasting upperparts of L. striatus and L. mittendorfi . In addition to L. mittendorfi, other Mt Oku endemics are the muroid rodents Hylomyscus grandis, Lamottemys okuensis, and Lophuromys dieterleni and the golden mole Chrysochloris basaci .