Specialized to particular ecosystems and with low dispersal ability, rodents are generally good indicators of biodiversity levels. In eastern Africa, the geomorphologically diverse country of Ethiopia provides habitat for rich vertebrate fauna, yet the latest checklist of Ethiopian rodents is almost 25 years old.
Aimed at providing up-to-date knowledge on the biodiversity of rodents on Ethiopia, this paper compiles critically-reviewed data from literature, unpublished museum collections, field surveys and GBIF, providing maps of known distributions of 104 rodent species—including 40 species not included in the previous checklist (Yalden et al. 1996)
The study also produces complete taxonomic and ecological accounts for each species. The authors note the highest proportion of endemic species in the Ethiopian highlands and indicate that rodent diversity in Ethiopia is much higher than in other African countries of comparable size.