Uranomys Dollman 1909

Uranomys Dollman 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 4: 551.

Type Species: Uranomys ruddi Dollman 1909

Species and subspecies: 1 species:

Species Uranomys ruddi Dollman 1909

Discussion: Dollman (1909) noted that pelage traits of Uranomys indicated close relationship to Lophuromys but cranial structure resembled the Ethiopian Muriculus (related to Mus). In its combination of external, cranial, and dental traits, Uranomys is phylogenetically distant from Muriculus but is closely related to Lophuromys and Acomys (Denys and Michaux, 1992; Denys et al., 1992; Heim de Balsac, 1963; Heim de Balsac and Lamotte, 1958; Heller, 1911; Hinton, 1921; Ingoldby, 1929; Misonne, 1969; Rosevear, 1969; Thomas, 1910 d). Cladistic affinity of the three is also substantiated by the extensive biochemical, molecular, and chromosomal studies cited in the subfamily account. A cladistic analysis of morphological traits by Hutterer et al. (1988) aligned Uranomys and Acomys with the extinct Malpaisomys from the Canary Isls, but Montgelard (1992) presented immunological data demonstrating that Malpaisomys is phylogenetically more closely related to Mus than to either Uranomys or Acomys . G. M. Allen (1939) listed seven species of Uranomys but noted that six of them would probably prove to be subspecies of U. ruddi, which is how the genus is currently treated by others (Lavrenchenko, 1993; Musser and Carleton, 1993; W. Verheyen, 1964 b), but not here because we are not recognizing subspecies.