Large long-tailed small tenrek

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Large long-tailed small tenrek
Systematics
without rank: Afroinsectiphilia
Order : Tenrecus (Afrosoricida)
Family : Tenreks (Tenrecidae)
Subfamily : Travel treks (Oryzorictinae)
Genre : Kleintenreks ( Microgale )
Type : Large long-tailed small tenrek
Scientific name
Microgale principula
Thomas , 1926

The large long-tailed small tanrek ( Microgale principula ), sometimes also called large long-tailed small tanrek , is a species of mammal from the genus of small tenreks within the tenrek family . It represents a medium-sized representative, which is characterized by its extremely long tail. This reaches twice the body length. The rest of the appearance of the animals with their spindle-shaped body, strong limbs and long, narrow and pointed head corresponds to the other small tenreks. The distribution area of ​​the great long-tailed small tenrek extends over the rainforests of eastern Madagascar , where they inhabit middle and higher mountain regions. His way of life has hardly been researched, it is possible that he lives partly tree-climbing. The species was introduced in 1926, but for a time was considered identical to the Lesser Long-tailed Kleintenrek . Some subfossil finds from the southern tip of the island are also significant . The population of the animals is classified as not threatened.

features

Habitus

The large long-tailed Kleintenrek is one of the medium-sized representatives of the Kleintenreks, it is very similar to the small long-tailed Kleintenrek ( Microgale longicaudata ), but is on average larger. According to measurements of five individuals from the Anosyenne Mountains in southern Madagascar, the head-trunk length is 7.0 to 8.0 cm, the tail length is 14.7 to 16.4 cm and the body weight is 9.5 to 12 , 5 g. Another eight individuals from the Anjanaharibe and Marojejy massifs in the north of the island had almost identical size variations with corresponding values ​​of 7.1 to 8.0 cm and 14.6 to 17.1 cm and 8.5 to 10.5 g, respectively . The physique resembles that of other Kleintenreks, the body is spindle-shaped, the limbs are short and strong and the long, narrow head is pointed forward. The ears reach a length of 14 to 17 mm. The long tail, which takes up more than twice the remaining body length, is striking. It is covered by a fine, short-haired fur, only the underside of the tip of the tail is bare over a length of 15 to 20 mm. The back is characterized by a reddish-brown fur color, the underside appears gray with yellowish-brown washings. The limbs each end in five-pointed hands and feet. The fifth toe is significantly elongated at the rear of the foot, it is as large as the second toe. The total length of the rear foot varies between 17 and 19 mm. Females have one pair of teats on the breast and two pairs on the groin .

Skull and dentition features

The skull is medium in size, its greatest length is 21.5 to 22.7 mm, the greatest width on the brain skull is 8.9 to 9.4 mm. The rostrum is moderately short and wide, the rear skull appears narrow. The zygomatic arches are not fully developed. The dentition consists of 40 teeth with the following dental formula together: . In the upper row of teeth, short diastemas are formed between the first incisor and the second premolar (P3) , exceptions are the second and third incisors, which are close together. The innermost upper incisor protrudes higher than the canine , just like the last premolar is higher than the preceding one. Additional cusps appear in front of and behind the main cusp on both the second incisor, the canine and the anterior premolars. The lower anterior premolar resembles a canine tooth ( caniniform ). The molars hardly differ from those of other Kleintenreks. The chewing surface is designed zalambdodont and thus has three main cusps. The upper last molar is reduced in size. The length of the entire upper row of teeth varies from 10.1 to 10.8 mm.

distribution

Distribution area of ​​the large long-tailed small tenrec

The great long-tailed small tenrek is endemic to Madagascar . Its distribution area extends in a more or less wide strip from north to south over the eastern part of the island state. Significant deposits are located in the north, for example, on the massifs of Anjanaharibe and Marojejy or in the forest areas of Tsararano and Makira to the south and on the Masoala peninsula , all in the Antsiranana province . In the central part of the island, the species was found in the Ambatovy-Analamay-Torotorofotsy forest complex and in the Mantadia Andasibe National Park in the Toamasina province , as well as in the forest corridor of Anjozorobe-Angavo in the border area of ​​the Toamasina and Antananarivo provinces . Stocks in southern Madagascar are documented in the Ranomafana National Park in the Fianarantsoa Province and in the Anosyenne Mountains in the Toliara Province . The animals inhabit tropical rainforests of the middle and higher mountain ranges, and some of them also occur in degraded forests. The altitude distribution ranges from 500 to 1875 m. In general, they are considered to be relatively common. In some areas such as the mountainous regions of the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park or on the Anjanaharibe massif, the large long-tailed small tenrek occurs sympathetically with the small long-tailed small tenrek ( Microgale longicaudata ), but in the latter region the large long-tailed small tenrek populates on average higher mountain landscapes.

Way of life

The way of life of the great long-tailed small tiger has been little or hardly researched. It may live partly tree-dwelling ( scansorial ), which is also indicated by the long tail with the bare tip, which could serve as a prehensile tail , as is the structure of the feet. Direct evidence of this is not yet available; some animals have been observed in the branches at a height of around 1 m. The majority of the investigated individuals from the Anosyenne Mountains, for example, were caught in soil traps. The main diet is made up of grasshoppers , beetles , hymenoptera and spiders . The single-cell Eimeria appears as an internal parasite .

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 Great Long-tailed Kleintenrek is a kind from the kind 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). With more than 20 species, they are also the most diverse member of the Tenreks and, due to some morphological features, are considered to be originally within the family. According to molecular genetic analyzes, the genus was formed in the Lower Miocene around 16.8 million years ago and diversified very strongly in the period that followed. Today's representatives are adapted to different ways of life, so there are forms that sometimes dig underground, live above ground, or tree-climbing and water-dwelling forms. A larger part of the Kleintenreks inhabit the humid forests of eastern Madagascar, but a few species have also developed the drier landscapes of the western part of the island. Within the genus, different kinship groups can be detected both morphologically and genetically. With its extremely long tail, the large long-tailed small tenrek is associated with other long-tailed representatives of the genus, such as the small long-tailed small tenrek ( Microgale longicaudata ) or the major long-tailed small tenrek ( Microgale majori ), which is supported by the genetic data.

There are no known subspecies of the great long-tailed lesser tiger. Subfossil finds of the species occur in the Andrahomana Cave southwest of Tolagnaro in the extreme southeast of Madagascar. The cave is embedded in the Eolianite outcrops of the steep coast and is located in a transition area from the arid regions of the western to the wetlands of the eastern part of the island. Today the large long-tailed small tenrek is no longer common here. The extremely rich fossil material, which covers the period of the last 8700 years, has been explored since the end of the 19th century. In 1928 Guillaume Grandidier described a series of skulls from the cave belonging to the species Microgale decaryi , which he named after the discoverer of the finds, Raymond Decary . Three years later she referred Grandidier together with Gabriel Petit to the genus Paramicrogale , which they defined on the basis of the robust skull with flat cranial skull and enlargements in the area of ​​the nasal and frontal bones as well as the medial jawbone. In this they also placed Paramicrogale occidentalis , but the shape is associated with the short-tailed Kleintenrek ( Microgale brevicaudata ) due to the short tail . In 1972, however, Henri Heim de Balsac reunited Paramicrogale with Microgale , while Ross DE MacPhee in his 1987 revision of the Kleintenreks synonymous Microgale decaryi with the large long-tailed Kleintenrek due to lack of deviations .

The first scientific description of the large long-tailed small tenrec was in 1926 by Oldfield Thomas . A full-grown female from the rainforest areas of southeastern Madagascar ( Fianarantsoa province ) near the town of Midongy in the Midongy du Sud region, now a national park , served as the basis. The individual represents the holotype of the species, the region is considered its type locality. Originally in 1882 Thomas had combined a series of 39 individuals of long-tailed small tenreks from Ankafina in central-eastern Madagascar into one species, the small long-tailed small tenrek. Due to the existing size differences within this series of finds, he split the species in 1918 and separated the major long-tailed small tenrek, which is slightly smaller than its relative. With the large long-tailed Kleintenrek, he then presented a larger, outwardly similar shape from the southeast of the island eight years later. The specific epithet principula refers to the size of the animals, of which Thomas assumed that they represent the largest representatives of the entire genus (in his definition at the time). In the same publication from 1926, Thomas presented Microgale sorella, a form mediating between Microgale longicaudata and Microgale principula , which comes from the Beforona forest west of Andevorante in the east Madagascan province of Toamasina . However, in the period that followed, the independence of the individual long-tailed small reforms was assessed differently. Heim de Balsac saw both Microgale principula and Microgale sorella as subspecies of the lesser long-tailed lesser tenreks in the 1970s . In contrast, in 1987 MacPhee was able to separate the large long-tailed small tenrek from the small long-tailed small tenrek with the help of different skull dimensions and recognized the former as independent. At the same time he combined Microgale sorella with the large long-tailed small tenrek. The independence of the great long-tailed lesser tinker from its smaller relatives was confirmed in 2004 by molecular genetic data and in 2007 by cytogenetic data.

Threat and protection

There are no known major threats to the existence of the large long-tailed small ternre; in the long term, habitat loss through forest destruction as a result of conversion into agriculturally usable areas or the removal of timber can have negative effects. Other influences include forest fires. The species is widespread, however, and it is also assumed that the population is comparatively large due to the relative frequency of the animals. The IUCN therefore classifies the large long-tailed small tenrek as "not threatened" ( least concern ). It occurs in numerous protected areas, including the Marojejy National Park , the Ranomafana National Park and the Midongy du Sud National Park . In principle, the small long-tailed Kleintenrek, the major long-tailed Kleintenrek and the large long-tailed Kleintenrek require a revision in order, among other things, to outline the exact range of the three closely related species.

literature

  • 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 (p. 169) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
  • Oldfield Thomas: On some small mammals from Madagascar. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 17, 1926, pp. 250-252

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Steven M. Goodman, Paulina D. Jenkins and Mark Pidgeon: Lipotyphla (Tenrecidae and Soricidae) of the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d'Andohahela, Madagascar. Fieldiana Zoology 94, 1999, pp. 187-216
  2. ↑ a b c d e Steven M. Goodman and Paulina D. Jenkins: The Insectivores of the Réserve Spéciale d'Anjanaharibe-Sud, Madagascar. Fieldiana Zoology 90, 1998, pp. 139-161
  3. ↑ 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
  4. ↑ 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
  5. ↑ 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
  6. ^ Franco Andreone, Jasmin E. Randrianirina, Paula D. Jenkins and Gennaro Aprea: Species diversity of Amphibia, Reptilia and Lipotyphla (Mammalia) at Ambolokopatrika, a rainforest between the Anjanaharibe-Sud and Marojejy massifs, NE Madagascar. Biodiversity and Conservation 9, 2000, pp. 1587-1622
  7. ↑ Zafimahery Rakotomalala, Vonjy Andrianjakarivelo, Volatiana Rasataharilala and Steven M. Goodman: Les petits mammifères non volant de la forêt de Makira, Madagascar. Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France 132, 2007, pp. 205-221
  8. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala: Exploitation des bois à précieux Masoala, Madagascar: quel impact sur les tenrecs? Afrotherian Conservation 14, 2018, pp. 20–32
  9. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala and Martin Raheriarisena: The non-volant and non-primate mammals of the Ambatovy Analamay forest. In: Steven. M. Goodman and V. Mass (Eds.): Biodiversity, exploration, and conservation of the natural habitats associated with the Ambatovy project. Malagasy Nature 3, 2010, pp. 153-177
  10. ^ Paulina D. Jenkins: A New Species of Microgale (Insectivora: Tenrecidae) from Eastern Madagascar with an Unusual Dentition. American Museum Novitates 3067, 1993, pp. 1-11
  11. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala, Landryh T. Ramanana, José M. Ralison and Steven M. Goodman: Les petits mammifères non-volants du “Couloir forestier d'Anjozorobe - Angavo”. In: Steven M. Goodman, Achille P. Raselimanana and Lucienne Wilmé (eds.): Inventaires de la faune et de la flore du couloir forestier d'Anjozorobe - Angavo. Recherche pour le développement, Série Sciences biologiques, Center d'Information et de Documentation Scientifique et Technique 24, 2007, pp. 141-182
  12. ↑ Voahangy Soarimalala, Steven M. Goodman, H. Ramiaranjanahary, LL Fenohery and W. Rakotonirina: Les micromammifères non-volants du Parc National de Ranomafana et du couloir forestier qui le relie au Parc National d'Andringitra. Dans Inventaire biologique du Parc National de Ranomafana et du couloir forestier qui la relie au Parc National d'Andringitra. In: Steven M. Goodman and VR Razafindratsita (eds.): Recherches pour le Développement. Série Sciences Biologiques 17, 2001, pp. 199-229
  13. ↑ Landryh Tojomanana Ramanana: Petits mammifères (Afrosoricida et Rodentia) nouvellement recensés dans le Parc National d'Andohahela (parcelle 1), Madagascar. Malagasy Nature 4, 2010, pp. 66-72
  14. ^ A b P. J. Stephenson, Voahangy Soarimalala and Steven M. Goodman: Microgale principula. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. e.T13350A97201454 ( [1] ); last accessed on September 3, 2016
  15. ↑ 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
  16. ↑ 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
  17. ^ JF Eisenberg and Edwin Gould: The Tenrecs: A Study in Mammalian Behavior and Evolution. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1970, pp. 1-138
  18. ↑ a b c d e 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
  19. ↑ a b Link E. Olson, Steven M. Goodman and Anne D. Yoder: Illumination of cryptic species boundaries in long-tailed shrew tenrecs (Mammalia: Tenrecidae; Microgale), with new insights into geographic variation and distributional constraints. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 83, 2004, pp. 1-22
  20. ↑ Guillaume Grandidier: Description de deux nouveaux mammifères insectivores de Madagascar. Bulletin du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle 34, 1928, pp. 63–70 ( [2] )
  21. ↑ 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] )
  22. ^ Henri Heim de Balsac: Insectivores. In: R. Battistini and G. Richard-Vindard (eds.): Biogeography and ecology in Madagascar. The Hague, 1972, pp. 629-660
  23. ^ DA Burney, N. Vasey, LR Godfrey, Ramilisonina, WL Jungers, M. Ramarolahy and L. Raharivony: New Findings at Andrahomana Cave, Southeastern Madagascar. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 70 (1), 2008, pp. 13-24
  24. ↑ Steven M. Goodman and William L. Jungers: Extinct Madagascar. Picturing the island's past. University of Chicago Press, 2014, pp. 1–206 (pp. 65–73)
  25. ^ A b Oldfield Thomas: On some small mammals from Madagascar. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 17, 1926, pp. 250-252
  26. ↑ Oldfield Thomas: Description of a new genus and two new species of Insectivora from Madagascar. Journal of the Linnean Society of London 16, 1882, pp. 319–322 ( [4] )
  27. ↑ Oldfield Thomas: On the arrangement of the small Tenrecidae hitherto referred to Oryzorictes and Microgale. Annals and magazine of natural history 14, 1918, pp. 302–307 ( [5] )
  28. ↑ C. Gilbert, SM Goodman, V. Soarimalala, LE Olson, PCM O'Brien, FFB Elder, F. Yang, MA Ferguson-Smith and TJ Robinson: Chromosomal evolution in tenrecs (Microgale and Oryzorictes, Tenrecidae) from the Central Highlands of Madagascar. Chromosome Research 15, 2007, pp. 1075-1091

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