Heller's vlei rat explained

Heller's vlei rat (Otomys helleri) is a species of rodent in the family of Muridae. It is endemic to Ethiopia and is found on the Arussi Plateau and the Bale Mountains.

Taxonomy

Childs Frick (1914) initially described this species under the name Otomys jacksoni helleri. It was then included under O. typus (Ethiopian vlei rat) as a subspecies, and later as a synonym until Taylor et al. (2011) would elevated the taxa to species status.^[1]

Conservation

It is listed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN, due to a vast area of occurrence.

Notes and References

1. Taylor . Peter J. . Lavrenchenko . Leonid A. . Carleton . Michael D. . Verheyen . Erik . Bennett . Nigel C. . Oosthuizen . Carel J. . Maree . Sarita . 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 . Zootaxa . 13 September 2011 . 3024 . 1 . 1–66 . 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.3024.1.1. 59381852. 20 February 2023.