Grammomys ibeanus (Osgood 1910)

[Grammomys] ibeanus (Osgood 1910), Field Mus . Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 10: 8.

Type Locality: Kenya, Molo.

Vernacular Names: East African Grammomys.

Distribution: From extreme NE Zambia (Nyika Plateau; Ansell, 1978) and Malawi (Ansell and Dowsett, 1988) north through highlands of E Tanzania (Stanley et al., 1998; and specimens in MCZ) and Kenya to S Sudan (Hollister, 1919; Hutterer and Dieterlen, 1984).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Morphological and geographic definition of G. ibeanus is unsatisfactory, particularly the extent of its distribution in Tanzania. Hutterer and Dieterlen (1984) treated ibeanus as a form of G. cometes, but the striking morphological distinctions between samples of ibeanus and the type series of cometes prompted our specific ranking of ibeanus (see also account of G. cometes).