Mus (Nannomys) neavei Thomas 1910

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Muridae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 1189-1531 : 1404

Mus (Nannomys) neavei Thomas 1910

Mus (Nannomys) neavei Thomas 1910 , Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 5: 90.

Type Locality: SE Zambia, E Loangwe Dist., Petauke, 2400 ft (732 m; Ansell, 1978, provided coordinates).

Vernacular Names: Neave's Mouse.

Distribution: E Dem. Rep. Congo, SE Zambia ( Ansell, 1978), S Zimbabwe, Limpopo Province of South Africa, W Mozambique, and S Tanzania; (range derived from Meester et al., 1986:282, and our study of material in AMNH, BMNH, and USNM). Distributional limits undocumented; supposed records of M. neavei from Malawi represent other species ( Ansell and Dowsett, 1988).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Nannomys . Originally described as a species, neavei was later treated as a subspecies of M. sorella ( Verheyen, 1965 a) , an arrangement accepted by Ansell (1978), Meester et al. (1986), and Skinner and Smithers (1990). F. Petter (1981 b), however, pointed out that while a member of the M. sorella group, neavei should be treated as a separate species; in morphology and body size it appears to be close to M. oubanguii (F. Petter, 1981 b) . Our study (series in AMNH, BMNH, and USNM) corroborates F. Petter's view. Mus neavei is a distinct species and easily distinguished from M. sorella by its richer tawny fur, much smaller size, more delicate cranium, and shorter molar rows (3.0-3.2 mm in seven examples of M. neavei , 3.2-3.7 mm in nine M. sorella ). How M. neavei is related to M. oubanguii and the small-bodied M. baoulei (both in the M. sorella group) is unresolved.