''Myotomys'' is a genus of African Karoo rats that inhabit the
Karoo
The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...
, a semi-desert region in the southern portion of the African continent. Previously placed in the genus ''
Otomys
African vlei rats (''Otomys''), also known as groove-toothed rats, live in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Most species live in marshlands, grasslands, and similar habitats and feed on the vegetation of such areas, occasionally supplementing ...
'', they are sometimes referred to as
vlei rat
African vlei rats (''Otomys''), also known as groove-toothed rats, live in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Most species live in marshlands, grasslands, and similar habitats and feed on the vegetation of such areas, occasionally supplementing ...
s.
Species
Genus ''Myotomys''
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Sloggett's vlei rat
Sloggett's vlei rat or ice rat (''Myotomys sloggetti'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found in southern Lesotho and South Africa where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, swamps, an ...
(rock Karoo rat, ice rat), ''Myotomys sloggetti''
[Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.]
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Bush vlei rat
The bush vlei rat or Karoo bush rat (''Myotomys unisulcatus'', formerly ''Otomys unisulcatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland. The Karoo rat u ...
, ''Myotomys unisulcatus''
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References
Rodent genera
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas
{{Murinae-stub