Mus (Nannomys) minutoides Smith 1834

Mus (Nannomys) minutoides Smith 1834, South African Quart. J., ser. 2, 2: 157.

Type Locality: South Africa, S Western Cape Province, Cape Town.

Vernacular Names: Southern African Pygmy Mouse.

Synonyms: Mus (Nannomys) marica (Thomas 1910); Mus (Nannomys) minimus (Peters 1852); Mus (Nannomys) umbratus (Thomas 1910) .

Distribution: Southern African Subregion: Zimbabwe, Mozambique (south of the Zambezi River), southern and eastern regions of South Africa (S Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape provinces; KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Free State, C and E Limpopo provinces), and Swaziland; northern limits unresolved (de Graaff, 1997 o; Meester et al., 1986:283; Skinner and Smithers, 1990:264).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Nannomys . Relationship of this species to M. musculoides has to be assessed by careful systematic revision of the minutoides-musculoides complex (see following account). Until such a study reveals otherwise, we view M. minutoides as occurring only in the Southern African Subregion, as the range of the species is outlined by de Graaf (1997 o) and Skinner and Smithers (1990). Pertinent reviews covering taxonomy, morphology, distribution, and biology are available for populations in Zimbabwe (Smithers and Wilson, 1979), Mozambique (south of the Zambezi River; Smithers and Lobao Tello, 1976), KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa (Taylor, 1998); and the Southern African Subregion (de Graaff, 1997 o; Skinner and Smithers, 1990).