Praomys delectorum (Thomas 1910)

[Praomys] delectorum (Thomas 1910), Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 6: 430.

Type Locality: S Malawi, Mlanji Plateau, 5500 ft (1675 m).

Vernacular Names: East African Praomys.

Synonyms: Praomys melanotus G. M. Allen and Loveridge 1933; Praomys octomastis Hatt 1940; Praomys taitae (Heller 1912) .

Distribution: High plateaus and isolated mountains from NE Zambia (Nyika Plateau, Makutus, and Mafingas; Ansell, 1978) and Malawi (Nyika Plateau; Ansell and Dowsett, 1988), through Tanzania (Swynnerton and Hayman, 1951) to SE Kenya (Hollister, 1919).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Of the synonyms belonging here, taitae was described as a species (Heller, 1912) and recognized as such by Hollister (1919) and Swynnerton and Hayman (1951), melanotus was described as a form of P. tullbergi (G. M. Allen and Loveridge, 1933), and octomastis was presented as a subspecies of P. jacksoni (Hatt, 1940 b) . Demeter and Hutterer (1986) suggested that taitae is synonymous with Hylomyscus denniae, but it is not, judging from our study of specimens and relevant holotypes. Van der Straeten and Kerbis Peterhans (1999) recognized melanotus, octomastis, and taitae as valid species in the P. delectorum complex, but presented no substantiating evidence defining their morphological and distributional limits. A sample of taitae had 2n = 48 (Matthey, 1965 a). Distribution in the Eastern Arc Mtns of Tanzania discussed by Stanley et al. (1998) and on slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro by Grimshaw et al. (1995).