Pygmy Rock Mouse

discussion

Discussion: Reviewed by Skinner and Smithers (1990) and de Graaff (1997 jj). Roberts (1951) listed capensis, known only from Goodhouse, as a species, and Meester et al. (1986) treated it as a full synonym of P. collinus barbouri. In arranging capensis as a subspecies of P. collinus, however, Shortridge and Carter (1938) properly reflected its affinity and appreciated that its morphology is unlike P. barbouri, which they described in the same paper and knew well. Roberts (1951) also treated bruchus (S Namibia, Great Brukkaros Mtn) as a separate species, merging the northern shortridgei as a subspecies. The latter is clearly a species separate from P. collinus (see comments under shortridgei), but the status of bruchus will have to be illuminated in a revision; the few specimens we have seen from Great Brukkaros Mtn are examples of P. collinus.

Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae

distribution

Distribution: SW Angola (along the Inselberge belt between Namib and mopani areas; Crawford-Cabral, 1966 b, 1998) and Kaokoveld region in N Namibia, south through Namibia, to W Limpopo of South Africa south of the Orange River in Goodhouse and Pella areas; also recorded from Western Cape Prov.

Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae

materials_examined

Type Locality: Namibia, Damaraland, Karibib, northwest of Windhoek, 3142 ft (958 m).

Order Rodentia - Family Nesomyidae

discussion

COMMENTS: Roberts (1951) listed capensis, known only from Goodhouse, as a species, and Meester et al. (1986) treated it as a synonym of barbouri. In describing it as a subspecies of P. collinus, however, Shortridge and Carter (1938) reflected its true affinities because its morphology is unlike P. barbouri, which Shortridge and Carter described in the same paper and knew well. Roberts (1951) also treated bruchus (type locality is Great Brukkaros Mtn in S Namibia) as a separate species, allocating the northern shortridgei to it as a subspecies. The latter is clearly a species separate from P. collinus (see comments under shortridgei), but the status of bruchus will have to be illuminated in a revision of Petromyscus; the few specimens we studied from Great Brukkaros Mtn were examples of P. collinus.

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae