Short-tailed Kleintenrek

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Short-tailed Kleintenrek
Systematics
without rank: Afroinsectiphilia
Order : Tenrecus (Afrosoricida)
Family : Tenreks (Tenrecidae)
Subfamily : Travel treks (Oryzorictinae)
Genre : Kleintenreks ( Microgale )
Type : Short-tailed Kleintenrek
Scientific name
Microgale brevicaudata
G. Grandidier , 1899

The short-tailed Kleintenrek ( Microgale brevicaudata ), sometimes also short- tailed Kleintenrek or Kurzschwanztanrek , is a mammal from the genus of Kleintenreks within the Tenrek family . It is endemic to Madagascar , where it inhabits both the dry forests and thorn bush areas of the western and northwestern and the tropical rainforests of the northeastern part of the country. Single subfossilRemnants prove its former appearance in the southwest of the island. Its height distribution extends from the lowlands to the middle altitudes. Like all Kleintenreks, the animals have a spindle-shaped body, short limbs and a narrow head with a pointed snout. What is striking about this species is, in addition to the comparatively robust skull structure, the name-giving short tail. This, plus a few other features, suggests that the short-tailed small tenrek lives partly underground, but there are hardly any indications of its exact behavior. The first description took place in 1899, the existence is currently not endangered.

features

Habitus

The short-tailed Kleintenrek is one of the small to medium-sized representatives of the Kleintenreks. Four examined individuals from the entire range had a total length of 10.9 to 12.7 cm, a head-trunk length of 7.2 to 8.0 cm and a tail length of 3.3 to 4.1 cm. The body weight varied from 4.4 to 8.1 g. Two analyzed individuals from the Marojejy massif in northern Madagascar had a body length of 7.2 and 7.4 cm, a tail length of 3.7 and 3.9 cm and a body weight of 10.5 and 12 g. As with all Kleintenreks, the body is spindle-shaped, the limbs are short and strong and the head has a long, narrow design and a pointed snout. The ears remain relatively small with a length of 13 to 14 mm. The comparatively short tail, which only takes up about half the length of the rest of the body, is striking. The back fur is characterized by a short and coarse texture and is therefore not as soft as the closely related Grandidier-Kleintenrek ( Microgale grandidieri ). It has a brownish color with yellowish brown speckles, so that an agouti-like fur pattern is created. The underside is colored gray-brown, the border to the coloring of the back is clearly visible on the sides. The scaly tail appears brownish, it is covered by a coarse, short-haired fur, the individual tail scales are clearly recognizable. The hands and feet each have five rays. The top of the hind feet is tinted brown. The length of the rear foot is 11 to 12 mm.

Skull and dentition features

The largest skull length varies from 20.4 to 22.4 mm, the largest width, measured on the skull, is 8.7 to 9.4 mm. The skull is very robust and characterized by a strong, short as well as high rostrum , which ends more rounded at the front and not as pointed as the Grandidier-Kleintenrek. In the area of ​​the nasal bone , the profile line bulges significantly. In addition, both the apex and the occiput are well developed. The zygomatic arch is not closed, the anterior arch attachment attached to the upper jaw ends with a wing-like width, which differs from the blunt arch attachment in the Grandidier-Kleintenrek. The lower jaw is moderately strong, the horizontal bone is robust and high. The crown process has a broad shape. The teeth, which consists of 40 teeth, has the following dental formula of: . The upper row of teeth is not closed, between the first two incisors and between the last incisor and the canine there are short diastemas , other very short tooth gaps occur between the upper premolars , which are missing in Grandidier-Kleintenrek. The upper front incisor is twice as high as the second, the rear incisor is even smaller. The canine, on the other hand, stands out due to its large, dagger-like shape. Additional cusps on the front teeth are hardly developed. The molars correspond to those of the other Kleintenreks. They are equipped with a zalambdodont chewing surface pattern, which consists of three main cusps. The upper posterior molar is reduced in size. The length of the upper row of teeth is 9.2 to 10.3 mm.

distribution

Distribution area of ​​the short-tailed lesser tenrec

The short-tailed small tenrek is endemic to Madagascar and occurs there from the western to the northwest to the northeast of the island state. As a result, he is one of the few representatives of the Kleintenreks who lives in the different landscapes of the island. So it occurs both in the eastern humid regions, in which the annual precipitation is up to 2700 mm and falls evenly over the entire period, as well as in the dry western, where the precipitation can drop annually to below 1000 mm and on fixed Rainy season is bound. The Masoala peninsula , the Marojejy massif , and the Montagne d'Ambre , all located in the Antsiranana province , as well as the Tsaratanana massif in the Mahajanga province, are significant find spots in the humid landscapes . In the arid regions there are deposits on the Manongarivo massif also in Antsiranana or in the forest areas of Ankarafantsika in the Mahajanga province and Kirindy in the Toliara province . To the north and south of the Soahany River in the west of the country, the distribution area overlaps that of the Grandidier Kleintenreks ( Microgale grandidieri ). However, so far, only in the forest area of ​​Beanka near Maintirano is an actual common occurrence of the two species. The preferred habitats of the short-tailed lesser tenreks include moist tropical rainforests in the east, while dry, deciduous forests in the west. In addition, the animals are also found in gallery forests , on the edge of thorn bush landscapes and in secondary forests or areas overgrown by agriculture. The altitude distribution ranges from 50 to 1150 m in the humid landscape areas, and from 20 to 900 m above sea level in the drier areas. In general, the short-tailed small tenrek can occur relatively frequently locally.

Way of life

Little research has been done into the way of life of the short-tailed small tiger. He lives in forests and moves forward on the ground. Due to some anatomical features such as the extremely short tail, it is assumed that, in contrast to its long-tailed relatives, it digs partially in the ground ( semifossorial ). However, individual individuals have also been observed in the Kirindy forest area, climbing lianas up to 4 m in height. Overall, the animals are able to colonize very different landscape areas. They may have a seasonal cycle of activity. In the humid landscapes in the northeast of the island they were mainly observed in the period from October to mid-February, in the drier west from late September to late February. The fossa appears as a predator , which occasionally preyes on individual individuals of the short-tailed lesser tenreks, while the barn owl should be highlighted among the birds . The external parasites include fleas of the genus Paractenopsyllus , while the internal parasite is Eimeria .

Systematics

Internal systematics of the Kleintenreks according to Everson et al. 2016
 Microgale  



 Microgale pusilla


   

 Microgale majori


   

 Microgale principula


   

 Microgale jenkinsae


   

 Microgale longicaudata






   

 Microgale mergulus


   

 Microgale parvula




   



 Microgale brevicaudata


   

 Microgale grandidieri



   

 Microgale drouhardi


   

 Microgale monticola


   

 Microgale taiva





   



 Microgale gracilis


   

 Microgale thomasi


   

 Microgale cowani


   

 Microgale jobihely





   

 Microgale dryas


   

 Microgale gymnorhyncha




   

 Microgale soricoides


   

 Microgale fotsifotsy


   

 Microgale nasoloi







Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

The short tail Kleintenrek is a kind from the genus of microgale ( Microgale ) within the family of tenrecs (Tenrecidae). The Kleintenreks form together with the rice burrowers ( Oryzorictes ) and the representatives of the genus Nesogale the subfamily of the Reistenreks (Oryzorictinae). In addition, with more than 20 species, they represent the most diverse member of the Tenreks. Due to some morphological features, the Kleintenreks can be regarded as originally within the family. According to molecular genetic analyzes, the genus originated in the Lower Miocene around 16.8 million years ago, and in the period that followed it was severely split up. Today's representatives are adapted to different ways of life, some species that dig underground, live above ground, or tree-climb and inhabit water. The majority of the Kleintenreks live in the moist forests of eastern Madagascar, but only a few forms are found in the drier landscapes of the western part of the island. Within the genus, different kinship groups can be identified both morphologically and genetically. In earlier morphological analyzes, the short-tailed Kleintenrek formed its own morphotype within the Kleintenreks due to its evidently short tail. The characteristic can be found among the representatives of the Grandidier Kleintenreks ( Microgale grandidieri ), but the species was only introduced in 2009. The genetic distance between the two species is around 14.5 to 18.8%, which is the same proportion as other sister taxa of the genus.

The first scientific description of the short-tailed small tenrec was written by Guillaume Grandidier in 1899 . For this he used several individuals from forests along rivers in the area of ​​Mahanara 78 km south of Vohémar in northeast Madagascar, the region is to be regarded as a type area of ​​the species. Since Grandidier neither provided an illustration nor named a type specimen in his description, Ross DE MacPhee established a lectotype in 1987 during a revision of the Kleintenreks . This includes a fully grown male animal, the dimensions of which correspond to the information given by Grandidier. The specific epithet brevicaudata is made up of the Latin words brevis for "short" and cauda for "tail" and refers to the striking feature of the animals compared to other small tenreks.

There are no known subspecies of the short-tailed mineroll. There are, however, several subfossil or modern finds that are assigned to the species. In 1918 Walter Kaudern presented several lower jaws from a limestone cave east of Mahajanga in north-western Mozambique, which he had picked up there in 1911 or 1912. Kaudern suspected a closer relationship to the short-tailed small tenrek due to the size and robustness of the jaw remains, but since no skeletal material of the species was available for comparison, he referred his findings to the provisional form Microgale breviceps . Thirteen years later, Guillaume Grandidier and Gabriel Petit published an almost complete skeleton with a skull and remains of skin and fur from the region north of Maintirano in the west of the island state. For the animal, which had a 5.5 cm long body and a 3.7 cm long tail, both authors created the name Paramicrogale occidentalis . Both authors cited the massive skull as a characteristic feature of the genus Paramicrogale ; in the same essay they also assigned the form Microgale decaryi , which, however, is related to the large long-tailed small tenrek ( Microgale principula ). Paramicrogale is not generally recognized, Henri Heim de Balsac later united the genus with Microgale in 1972 . MacPhee, on the other hand, synonymized both Microgale breviceps and Paramicrogale occidentalis in 1986 with the short-tailed small tenrek due to insufficiently separating characteristics. The fact that at least Paramicrogale occidentalis is identical to the short-tailed Kleintenrek was later proven by genetic studies on the original finds. Several robust partial skulls are in turn documented from the Ankilitelo cave on the southern edge of the Mikoboka plateau in southwestern Madagascar, which are assigned to the short-tailed Kleintenrek. The cave, which has been scientifically developed since 1994, contains a rich fauna comprising around 5000 bone fragments. In addition to a good half dozen species of tenreks, there are also various primates , bats and rodents . The age of the finds is between 510 and 630 years. The region is now a little outside the range of the short-tailed small tenrec. The area around the cave is characterized by a very dry climate.

Threat and protection

The IUCN classifies the short-tailed small tenrek in the “ least concern” category due to its widespread distribution, the assumed large population and the ability of the animals to adapt to landscapes that have been influenced by humans . Mining or deforestation in the course of the expansion or creation of pasture or agricultural areas pose greater threats. In particular, slash and burn can have a negative impact. The species is present in various nature reserves, so in Amber Mountain National Park , the National Park Marojejy , the National Park Ankarafantsika , in Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park and National Park Kirindy Mitea . For an effective protection of the short-tailed small tiger, studies of the general biology, ecology and distribution of the animals are necessary.

literature

  • Guillaume Grandidier: Description d'une nouvelle espèce d'insectivore provenant de Madagascar. Bulletin du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle 5, 1899, p. 349 ( [4] )
  • Paulina D. Jenkins: Tenrecidae (Tenrecs and Shrew tenrecs). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, pp. 134–172 (pp. 167–168) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
  • Link E. Olson, Z. Rakotomalala, KBP Hildebrandt, HC Lanier, Christopher J. Raxworthy and Steven M. Goodman: Phylogeography of Microgale brevicaudata (Tenrecidae) and description of a new species from Western Madagascar. Journal of Mammalogy 90 (5), 2009, pp. 1095-1110

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Link E. Olson, Z. Rakotomalala, KBP Hildebrandt, HC Lanier, Christopher J. Raxworthy and Steven M. Goodman: Phylogeography of Microgale brevicaudata (Tenrecidae) and description of a new species from Western Madagascar. Journal of Mammalogy 90 (5), 2009, pp. 1095-1110
  2. ↑ a b c d Steven M. Goodman and Paulina D. Jenkins: Tenrecs (Lipotyphla; Tenrecidae) of the Parc National de Marojejy, Madagascar. Fieldiana Zoology 97, 2000, pp. 201-229
  3. ↑ a b c Paulina D. Jenkins: Tenrecidae (Tenrecs and Shrew tenrecs). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, pp. 134–172 (pp. 167–168) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
  4. ^ A b Kathleen M. Muldoon, Donald D. de Blieux, Elwyn L. Simons, and Prithijit S. Chatrath: The Subfossil Occurrence and Paleoecological Significance of Small Mammals at Ankilitelo Cave, Southwestern Madagascar. Journal of Mammalogy 90 (5), 2009, pp. 1111-1131
  5. ↑ Vonjy Andrianjiakarivelo, Emilienne Razafimahatratra, Yvette Razafindrakoto and Steven M. Goodman: The terrestrial small mammals of the Parc National de Masoala, northeastern Madagascar. Acta Theriologica 50 (4), 2005, pp. 537-549
  6. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala: Exploitation des bois à précieux Masoala, Madagascar: quel impact sur les tenrecs? Afrotherian Conservation 14, 2018, pp. 20–32
  7. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala and Steven M. Goodman: Diversité biologique the micromammifères non volants (Lipotyphla et Rodentia) dans le complexe Marojejy Anjanaharibe-sud. In: Steven M. Goodman and Lucienne Wilmé (eds.): Nouveaux résultats faisant référence à l'altitude dans la région des massifs montagneux de Marojejy et d'Anjanaharibe-sud. Recherche pour le développement, Série Sciences biologiques, Center d'Information et de Documentation Scientifique et Technique 19, 2003, pp. 231-276
  8. ↑ Christopher J. Raxworthy and Ronald A. Nussbaum: A rainforest survey of amphibians, reptiles and small mammals at Montagne d'Ambre, Madagascar. Biological Conservation 69, 1994, pp. 65-73
  9. ↑ Claudette Patricia Maminirina, Steven M. Goodman and Christopher J. Raxworthy: Les micro-mammifères (Mammalia, Rodentia, Afrosoricida et Soricomorpha) du du massif Tsaratanana et biogeography of Forests de montagnes de Madagascar. Zoosystema 30, 2008, pp. 695-721
  10. ↑ Daniel Rakotondravony, Volomboahangy Randrianjafy and Steven M. Goodman: Evaluation Rapide de la Diversité Biologique of Micromammifères de la Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d'Ankarafantsika. In: Leeanne E. Alonso, Thomas S. Schulenberg, Sahondra Radilofe and Olivier Missa (eds.): Une évaluation biologique de la Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d'Ankarafantsika, Madagascar. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment, Conservation International, Washington, DC, 2002, pp. 83-87
  11. ↑ JU Ganzhorn, S. Sommer, JP Abraham, M. Ade, BM Raharivololona, ​​ER Rakotovao, C. Rakotondrasoa and R. Randriamarosoa: Mammals of the Kirindy Forest with special emphasis on Hypogeomys antimena and the effects of logging on the small mammal fauna . Primate Report 46-1, 1996, pp. 215-232
  12. ↑ Steven M. Goodman, Haridas H. Zafindranoro and Voahangy Soarimalala: A case of the sympatric occurrence of Microgale brevicaudata and M. grandidieri (Afrosoricida, Tenrecidae) in the Beanka Forest, Maintirano. Malagasy Nature 5, 2011, pp. 104-108
  13. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala, Haridas H. Zafindranoro and Steven M. Goodman: Diversité des petits mammifères sur une formation de tsingy: cas de la forêt de Beanka, Région Melaky, Ouest de Madagascar. Malagasy Nature 7, 2013, pp. 245-258
  14. ^ A b P. J. Stephenson, Voahangy Soarimalala and Steven M. Goodman: Microgale brevicaudata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. e.T54007828A97189964 ( [1] ); last accessed on September 25, 2016
  15. ^ A b J. F. Eisenberg and Edwin Gould: The Tenrecs: A Study in Mammalian Behavior and Evolution. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1970, pp. 1-138
  16. ↑ Roland D. Hilgartner: Some ecological and behavioral notes on the shrew tenrec Microgale cf.longicaudatain the dry deciduous forest of western Madagascar. Afrotherian Conservation 3, 2005, pp. 3-5
  17. ^ Luke Dollar, Jörg U. Ganzhorn and Steven M. Goodman: Primates and other prey in the seasonally variable diet of Cryptoprocta ferox in the deciduous forest of Western Madagascar. In: S. Gursky and KA Nekaris (eds.): Predation on primates. New York, 2007, pp. 63-76
  18. ↑ Rodin M. Rasoloarison, Bernardin PN Rasolonandrasana, Jörg U. Ganzhorn and Steven M. Goodman: Predation on vertebrates in the Kirindy forest, Western Madagascar. Ecotropica 1, 1995, pp. 59-65
  19. ↑ Michael W. Hastriter and Carl W. Dick: A description of Paractenopsyllus madagascarensis sp. n. and the female of Paractenopsyllus raxworthyi Duchemin & Ratovonjato, 2004 (Siphonaptera, Leptopsyllidae) from Madagascar with a key to the species of Paractenopsyllus. ZooKeys 13, 2009, pp. 43-55
  20. ↑ Lee Couch, Juha Laakkonen, Steven Goodman, and Donald W. Duszynski: Two New Eimerians (Apicomplexa) from Insectivorous Mammals in Madagascar. Journal of Parasitology 97 (2), 2011, pp. 293-296
  21. ↑ a b c Kathryn M. Everson, Voahangy Soarimalala, Steven M. Goodman and Link E. Olson: Multiple loci and complete taxonomic sampling resolve the phylogeny and biogeographic history of tenrecs (Mammalia: Tenrecidae) and reveal higher speciation rates in Madagascar's humid forests . Systematic Biology 65 (5), 2016, pp. 890-909 doi: 10.1093 / sysbio / syw034
  22. ↑ a b c d R. DE MacPhee: The Shrew Tenrecs of Madagascar: Systematic Revision and Holocene Distribution of Microgale (Tenrecidae, Insectivora). American Museum Novitates 2889, 1987, pp. 1-45
  23. ↑ Guillaume Grandidier: Description d'une nouvelle espèce d'insectivore provenant de Madagascar. Bulletin du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle 5, 1899, p. 349
  24. ^ Walter Kaudern: Quaternary fossils from Madagascar. Zoological Yearbooks 41, 1918, pp. 521–534 ( [2] )
  25. ↑ Guillaume Grandidier and G. Petit: Un type nouveaux de centetide malgache, Paramicrogale occidentalis. Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France 56, 1931, pp. 126-139 ( [3] )
  26. ^ Henri Heim de Balsac: Insectivores. In: R. Battistini and G. Richard-Vindard (eds.): Biogeography and ecology in Madagascar. The Hague, 1972, pp. 629-660
  27. ↑ Steven M. Goodman and William L. Jungers: Extinct Madagascar. Picturing the island's past. University of Chicago Press, 2014, pp. 1–206 (pp. 94–101)
  28. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala: Les Afrosoricides de la forêt sèche malgache. Afrotherian Conservation 8, 2011, pp. 4-9

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