Mus (Nannomys) tenellus Thomas 1903

Mus (Nannomys) tenellus Thomas 1903, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1903 (1): 298.

Type Locality: Sudan, Blue Nile, Roseires.

Vernacular Names: Delicate Mouse.

Synonyms: Mus (Nannomys) aequatorius Setzer 1953; Mus (Nannomys) delamensis Setzer 1956; Mus (Nannomys) suahelica (Thomas 1910) .

Distribution: Sudan (Setzer, 1956), S Ethiopia (below 2000 m; Rupp, 1980), S Somalia, and south through Kenya to C Tanzania (Dodoma), including lower flanks of Mt Kilimanjaro (Grimshaw et al., 1995); range based upon our study of material at AMNH, BMNH, CNHM, MCZ, AND USNM; distributional limits unresolved.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Nannomys . Reviewed by F. Petter (1972 a) and Yalden et al. (1976). Morphologically and ecologically closely similar to M. haussa (see that account). The southernmost record is based on holotype of gerbillus (G. M. Allen and Loveridge, 1933), which is an example of M. tenellus; aequatorius, delamensis, and suahelica also represent that species (our study of holotypes). Yalden et al. (1976) listed gallarum as a synonym of M. tenellus, but the holotype is a M. minutoides . Judged by our studies of museum specimens, most published Ethiopian records of M. tenellus are actually M. minutoides, but we have not seen the samples from SW Ethiopia referenced by Yalden et al. (1996).