Otomys laminatus Thomas and Schwann 1905

Otomys laminatus Thomas and Schwann 1905, Abstr. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1905 (18): 23.

Type Locality: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Zululand, Nkandhla, Sibudeni, 1050 m.

Vernacular Names: KwaZulu Vlei Rat.

Synonyms: Otomys fannini (Roberts 1951); Otomys mariepsi Roberts 1929; Otomys pondoensis Roberts 1924; Otomys silberbaueri Roberts 1919 .

Distribution: SE Mpumalanga and Free State provinces through KwaZulu-Natal Province, to Transkei; isolated segment in SW Western Cape Province, South Africa (Taylor et al., 1994 a:Fig. 6).

Conservation: IUCN – Least Concern.

Discussion: A species with highly derived M3 and m1 patterns, designated as the type of Lamotomys, a taxon employed as a subgenus of Otomys by Thomas (1918 b) and as a genus by Roberts (1951). Believed to intergrade with O. irroratus by Petter (1982) but usually retained as a distinct species in systematic works (Bohmann, 1952; Misonne, 1974) and faunal studies (De Graaff, 1981; Smithers, 1983; Meester et al., 1986). In addition to the many and obvious morphological differences, allozymic assessments demonstrate the genetic separation of O. laminatus from O. irroratus (Taylor et al., 1989) . Karyotype reported by Taylor et al. (1994 a), who collected O. laminatus in sympatry with O. angoniensis and O. irroratus in Natal.