Mus (Nannomys) neavei Thomas 1910

Mus (Nannomys) neavei Thomas 1910, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 5: 90.

Type Locality: SE Zambia, E Loangwe Dist., Petauke, 2400 ft (732 m; Ansell, 1978, provided coordinates).

Vernacular Names: Neave's Mouse.

Distribution: E Dem. Rep. Congo, SE Zambia (Ansell, 1978), S Zimbabwe, Limpopo Province of South Africa, W Mozambique, and S Tanzania; (range derived from Meester et al., 1986:282, and our study of material in AMNH, BMNH, and USNM). Distributional limits undocumented; supposed records of M. neavei from Malawi represent other species (Ansell and Dowsett, 1988).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Nannomys . Originally described as a species, neavei was later treated as a subspecies of M. sorella (Verheyen, 1965 a), an arrangement accepted by Ansell (1978), Meester et al. (1986), and Skinner and Smithers (1990). F. Petter (1981 b), however, pointed out that while a member of the M. sorella group, neavei should be treated as a separate species; in morphology and body size it appears to be close to M. oubanguii (F. Petter, 1981 b) . Our study (series in AMNH, BMNH, and USNM) corroborates F. Petter's view. Mus neavei is a distinct species and easily distinguished from M. sorella by its richer tawny fur, much smaller size, more delicate cranium, and shorter molar rows (3.0-3.2 mm in seven examples of M. neavei, 3.2-3.7 mm in nine M. sorella). How M. neavei is related to M. oubanguii and the small-bodied M. baoulei (both in the M. sorella group) is unresolved.