Species: Grammomys dryas (Thomas, 1907)

Synonymy:

Thamnomys dryas Thomas, 1907

Type locality: ‘Kenya Colony’ (Uganda), Ruwenzori East, 6000– 7000 ft (1830––2130 m) .

Distribution: A montane species endemic to the Albertine Rift Mountains, i.e. Ruwenzoris and Kivu region in Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi (Musser and Carleton 2005). We confirmed it from additional localities in the Albertine Rift, but also from the Minziro Forest (1160 m a.s.l.) in north-western Tanzania and from the Mahale National Park in western Tanzania, where a distinct mtDNA sublineage, m10, was recorded (Fig. 7).

Comments: Thomas (1907) noted the diagnostic mammary count in G. dryas (no axial pair of teats and only two pairs of inguinal teats), which, in combination with cranial traits, set it apart from other described forms (Musser and Carleton 2005), except G. cometes with the same number of teats (see above). Unfortunately, we were not able to include any representatives of this species in our morphological analysis of skulls. Kerbis Peterhans et al. (1998) reviewed its elevational distribution in the context of the entire Ruwenzori small mammal fauna. We recently collected it close to the type locality in the Rwenzori Mountains (Nyakelengija gate, 1720 m a.s.l.; Supporting Information, File S1). It is a well-characterized taxon genetically for both mtDNA (having three sublineages with parapatric distribution; Fig. 7C) and ddRAD data (wherein a single MOTU was identified by both branch-cutting and INFOMAP approaches; Figs 3, 7).

Karyotype: Not known.