Distribution of veld rat sibling species Aethomys chrysophilus and Aethomys ineptus (Rodentia: Muridae) in southern Africa
2003
Sibling species Aethomys chrysophilusl/Ig (de Winton) and Aethomys ineptusl/Ig Thomas and
Wroughton are indistinguishable in external morphology. Although their combined
geographic range extends over a large area of southern Africa, their respective distributions
are uncertain. We have assembled a database that includes all known positively identified
specimens from the literature, as well as those recently collected by the authors in South
Africa. Based on these specimens, we suggest that A. chrysophilusl/Ig occupies most of the
combined range, reaching its southern limit in northern South Africa, primarily in low
elevations of the Limpopo River drainage. The remainder of South Africa is occupied by A. ineptus , which occurs at higher elevations in north-central South Africa but expands into
lower elevation habitats in the southern portion of its range. Although mostly parapatric, their
ranges are known to overlap west of Pretoria (Magaliesberg region of North West Province)
and west of the Soutpansberg in Limpopo Province. However, they are known with certainty to
be syntopic at only one locality (Langjan Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province). Further research
is needed to determine the zone of parapatry in Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia.
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