Otomys

OtomysF. Cuvier, 1824

Accepted name, Mammal Species of the World 2005

Whereas Bohmann (1952) included all otomyine species in Otomys, most systematists have accorded the large-bullar forms separate generic status as Parotomys (see below), and we follow Thomas (1918b) in recognizing Myotomys as genus (see subfamily remarks). Roberts (1951) also treated Lamotomys as generically distinct, but cladistic interpretation of allozymic and immunologcial data, albeit limited to few species so far, clearly affiliate its type species laminatus with other Otomys (Contrafatto et al., 1994; Taylor et al., 1989). Oldest known fossil Otomys species date from the middle to late Pliocene (2-3.5 million years ago) in South Africa and from early Pleistocene (1-2 million years ago) in East Africa (see Denys, 1989a; Sénégas, 2001; Sénégas and Avery, 1998). Synonymy of the fossil Prototomys follows the observations of Avery (1998), who noted the marginal distinction of its type species, P. campbe... [truncated]

• Wilson, D and Reeder, D. (eds.) 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3rd ed. -- 2142 pp. Johns Hopkins University Press.