Saunders' Vlei Rat

discussion

COMMENTS: Named as a subspecies of tugelensis (= O. angoniensis) by Roberts and later (1951) raised by him to full species.

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

distribution

DISTRIBUTION: Isolated populations in SW Cape Province and in E Cape to S Orange Free State and Lesotho.

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

discussion

Discussion: Roberts (1929) named saundersiae as a subspecies of tugelensis (= O. angoniensis) but later (1951) raised it to full species, as commonly recognized in the literature (e. g., Corbet and Hill, 1991; De Graaff, 1981; Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1953; Misonne, 1974; Meester et al., 1986). The form karoensis, in Western Cape Province, has been variously treated as a species (G. M. Allen, 1939; Bohmann, 1952; Roberts, 1931; Taylor et al., 1993) or as a distinctive subspecies of O. saundersiae (Roberts, 1951; Taylor et al., in prep.). Taylor et al. (1993, as karoensis; in prep.) provided morphological bases for discrimination of O. saundersiae from O. irroratus, evaluated geographic and nongeographic variation, and contrasted G-banded karyotypes. The apparent rarity of O. saundersiae populations in the region of its type locality, Eastern Cape Province, is discussed by Taylor et al. (in prep.).

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

distribution

Distribution: Isolated populations in Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Free State provinces, South Africa, and in Lesotho.

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae