Mus (Coelomys) mayori Thomas 1915

Mus (Coelomys) mayori Thomas 1915, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 23: 415.

Type Locality: Sri Lanka, Central Mtns, Pattipola, 6200 ft (1890 m).

Vernacular Names: Mayor's Mouse.

Synonyms: Mus (Coelomys) pococki Ellerman 1947 .

Distribution: Endemic to rainforests of Sri Lanka.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt).

Discussion: Subgenus Coelomys . Recognized by Ellerman (1941:234) as the only species in genus Coelomys, but morphological and molecular traits support inclusion of M. mayori in a clade also containing M. crociduroides, M. pahari, and M. vulcani, and point to Coelomys as a highly distinct subgenus of Mus (Chevret et al., 2003; J. T. Marshall, Jr., 1977 b). Phillips (1980) recognized highland mayori and lowland pococki as subspecies, and summarized distributional and biological information for both. J. T. Marshall, Jr. (1977 b) and Corbet and Hill (1992) discussed variation in pelage coloration and texture within each form, and neither regarded those traits to reflect significant intraspecific entities.