Morphological and genetic characterization of Mount Kenya brush-furred rats (Lophuromys Peters 1874); relevance to taxonomy and ecology [Erratum: Apr. 2020, v.65(2), p.401]

Brush-furred rats (Lophuromys Peters 1874) are the most abundant and widely distributed small mammals on Mount Kenya. However, their ecology is poorly known and their taxonomic status is questionable. This study investigates whether or not the morphology and genetics of the Mt. Kenya Lophuromys correspond with elevation, vegetation, and climate variables. We also investigate the taxonomic relationship of the Mt. Kenya Lophuromys to the Aberdare Range and Mt. Kilimanjaro populations using genetic and craniodental data. Specimens were captured along Mt. Kenya’s western and eastern slopes, and other specimens (from Aberdare and Mt. Kilimanjaro) were obtained from Museum collections. The datasets were analyzed using multivariate and univariate statistics, discriminant function analysis, and phylogenetic analyses. The results show that Mt. Kenya Lophuromys specimens from different habitats and elevations are significantly differentiated by external morphology but not craniodental variables, and have low genetic variation and no population genetic structure, supporting the entire population is consistent with a single species model. In addition, Mt. Kenya and Aberdare Lophuromys cluster separately from Mt. Kilimanjaro Lophuromys based on craniodental analyses while phylogenetic and haplotype analyses also support the Mt. Kenya and Aberdare Lophuromys as evolutionarily isolated from Mt. Kilimanjaro’s population. These results contradict recent studies that hypothesized the distribution of Lophuromys margarettae in lower elevations of Mt. Kenya with Lophuromys zena restricted to the higher elevations.