Lepus (Sabanalagus) microtis Heuglin 1865

Lepus (Sabanalagus) microtis Heuglin 1865, Nova Acta Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol., Halle, 24 (Leopoldiana, 5): 32.

Type Locality: "Lande der Ridj," [Bahr-el-Ghazal, Sudan].

Vernacular Names: African Savanna Hare.

Subspecies::

Subspecies Lepus microtis subsp. microtis Heuglin 1865

Subspecies Lepus microtis subsp. angolensis Thomas 1904

Subspecies Lepus microtis subsp. senegalensis Rochebrune 1883

Subspecies Lepus microtis subsp. whytei Thomas 1894

Distribution: From Atlantic coast of NW Africa (Senegal, south to Guinea and Sierra Leone) eastward across Sahel to Sudan and extreme W Ethiopia; southward through E Africa (E Republic of Congo, W Kenya) to NE Namibia, Botswana, and KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). Small isolated population in W Algeria.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc); isolated population around Beni Abbés, Algeria, "deserve[s] attention" (Flux and Angermann, 1990).

Discussion: Placed (as crawshayi) in subgenus Proeulagus by Gureev (1964), and in subgenus Sabanalagus by Averianov (1998). Gureev recognized both crawshayi and whytei as distinct species, as did Azzaroli-Puccetti (1987 a). Formerly included in saxatilis; see comments under that species. This species has been known under several different names ( saxatilis, crawshayi, whytei, victoriae, and now microtis). Angermann and Feiler (1988) thought that the oldest available name for this species was victoriae Thomas, 1893, but apparently did not consider microtus Heuglin 1865. The species is widely sympatric with capensis, but allo- to parapatric with saxatilis (which is also sympatric with capensis sensu stricto), and with the small L. habessinicus .