Dendromus nyikae Wroughton 1909

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 930-955 : 940

Dendromus nyikae Wroughton 1909

Dendromus nyikae Wroughton 1909 , Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 3: 248.

Type Locality: Malawi, Nyika Plateau.

Vernacular Names: Nyika African Climbing Mouse.

Synonyms: Dendromus angolensis Roberts 1929 ; Dendromus bernardi Lundholm 1955 ; Dendromus longicaudatus Roberts 1913 .

Distribution: Patchy range in S Subsaharan Africa (about 5º to 24º S latitude)—SC Dem. Rep. Congo (Kananga, AMNH series), N and C Angola ( Crawford-Cabral, 1998; Hill and Carter, 1941; FMNH), N South Africa (Tzaneen Dist. of Limpopo; de Graaff, 1997 bb), E Zimbabwe (de Graaff, 1997 bb), Zambia ( Ansell, 1978), Malawi ( Ansell, 1989 b; Ansell and Dowsett, 1988; Chitaukali et al., 2001), and Eastern Arc Mtns, NE Tanzania (Stanley et al., 1998 b; Udzungwa Mtns, FMNH); limits unknown.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: A dark-furred and large-bodied relative of D. melanotis , as indicated by synapomorphic possession of a nail on the fifth hind digit (claw in all other Dendromus ), an elongate front fifth digit (vestigial and scarely evident in others), and burrowing habit to construct underground nests (other species are better climbers and nest above ground); see Ansell, 1974 b. The two comprise one of two species-pairs that commonly co-occur in southern Africa ( Avery, 1998), in grassland and savanna woodland biomes at low and high altitudes ( Chitaukali et al., 2001; Mugo et al., 1995). The report of D. melanotis nyikae from Ukerewe Isl in Lake Victoria ( MCZ 26613; G. M. Allen and Loveridge, 1933) is an example of D. mystacalis .