Mus spretus Lataste, 1883 . Acta Linn. Soc. Bordeaux, ser. 7, 4:27.

TYPE LOCALITY: Algeria, Oued Magra, N. of Hodna .

DISTRIBUTION: S. France; Iberian Peninsula; Balearic Isis. (Spain); Morocco; Algeria; Tunisia; Libya.

COMMENT: Considered distinct from musculus by Britton et al., 1976, C. R. Hebd. Seanc. Acad. Sci. Paris, 283:515-518, and Pelz and Niethammer, 1978, Z. Saugetierk., 43:302-304. Marshall and Sage, 1981, Symp. Zool. Soc. Lond., 47:17-24, listed spretus as distinct; but probably conspecific with abbotti because of intermediate specimens from three places in Egypt (JTM); see also comment under abbotti .