Montane Hylomyscus

discussion

Discussion: The species was superficially reviewed by Hatt (1940 a) and somewhat more thoroughly by Bishop (1979). The records of H. carillus from Chitau and Hanha in WC Angola (Hill and Carter, 1941: 98) are based upon examples of what we identify here as H. denniae; additional samples (in FMNH) were collected in the same region on Mt Moco and Mt Soque. Although far west from the nearest records of H. denniae, most morphological characteristics of the Angolan series fall within the range of variation among samples now defined as that species. That variation, however, is appreciable, especially in body size, and its significance in determining whether one or more species is present in what is now regarded as H. denniae has to be assessed by systematic revision; certainly more than one species is represented. The distribution of H. denniae like populations in afromontane habitats of East Africa and the Angolan plateau parallels the pattern seen in Rhabdomys dilectus (see account). Stanley et al. (1998) discussed distribution in the Eastern Arc Mtns of Tanzania. Altitudinal distribution of H. denniae on Ugandan slopes of Ruwenzori Mtns reviewed by Kerbis Peterhans et al. (1998), who

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

distribution

Distribution: Montane forest islands in WC Angola, extreme E Dem. Rep. Congo, Uganda, W Rwanda, and Kenya through Tanzania to NE Zambia.

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

materials_examined

Type Locality: Uganda, Mubuku Valley, Ruwenzori East, 7000 ft (2134 m).

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

materials_examined

UGANDA: Ruwenzori Mts., 1,890 m, 0.35 ° N, 30.0 ° E (FMNH 144457 *); Ruwenzori Mts., 2,667 m, 0.3666 ° N, 29.9833 ° E (FMNH 144527 *); Ruwenzori Mts., 3,368 m, 0.3833 ° N, 29.9333 ° E (FMNH 144588 *, 144605 *).

Integrative taxonomy within the Hylomyscus denniae complex (Rodentia: Muridae) and a new species from Kenya