Volcanic pygmy shrew

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Volcanic pygmy shrew
Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Insect eater (Eulipotyphla)
Family : Shrews (Soricidae)
Subfamily : Crocidurinae
Genre : Forest musk shrews ( Sylvisorex )
Type : Volcanic pygmy shrew
Scientific name
Sylvisorex vulcanorum
Hutterer & Verheyen , 1985

The volcanic pygmy shrew ( Sylvisorex vulcanorum ) is a species of shrew from the genus of the forest musk shrews ( Sylvisorex ). It occurs in the volcanic regions of Burundi , Uganda , the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda .

features

The volcanic pygmy shrew is a tiny to very small species of shrew with a relatively long tail. It is the smallest species of the genus and reaches a head-to-trunk length of 43 to 56 mm. The tail length is 47 to 51 mm, the hind foot length 10 to 11 mm and the ear length 6 to 7 mm. The weight of two specimens examined is 3.5 g each. The skull length is 15.5 to 16.1 mm and the skull width 7.7 to 7.9 mm. The total length of the upper row of teeth from the first incisor to the third molar is 6.5 to 6.8 mm. The fur is soft and fine. The fur hairs are 3 to 4 mm long. The back fur is dark sepia-brown to black-brown. The hair is gray with a sepia brown tip. The color of the peritoneum is similar to that of the back fur. However, it is a little grayer and some hair has white tips. The head is colored similar to the top. The small ears are easily covered by the fur. The fore and hind limbs are darkly pigmented. The tail, which is almost the length of the head and trunk, is dark with many small black bristles. The cranium is slightly arched. The first upper incisor is short and slightly hooked. The third upper molar is wide. The number of teats is not known.

Distribution area and habitat

The distribution area extends from the neighboring mountains of the Albert Trench in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo over southwestern Uganda to Rwanda and Burundi, where it occurs parapatric with Grant's forest musk shrew ( Sylvisorex granti ). The volcanic pygmy shrew lives in mountain forests, especially wet forests and bamboo forests, and swamps at altitudes from 1780 to 3100 m. In the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo animals have been observed at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,500 m, in the Volcano National Park in Rwanda at an altitude of 2,810 to 2980 m.

Way of life

Little is known about the way of life of the volcanic pygmy shrew. The long tail suggests that it is adapted for climbing.

Systematics

The Volcano pygmy shrew is a kind from the kind of forest musk shrews ( Sylvisorex ) within the family of shrews (Soricidae). Its sister species is possibly the form Sylvisorex silvanorum , which was only discovered in 2009 , but which is native to the Bamenda highlands in Cameroon .

status

The volcanic pygmy shrew is listed in the IUCN Red List in the “ near threatened ” category. Above all at low altitudes, logging and the creation of agricultural land lead to habitat loss. The volcanic pygmy shrew lives in a number of protected areas, including Rwanda's Volcano National Park .

literature

  • Rainer Hutterer : Volcano Forest Shrew. In: Jonathan Kingdon, Thomas M. Butynski, David CD Happold, Meredith Happold (Eds.): Mammals of Africa. Volume 4: Hedgehogs, shrews and bats. Bloomsbury, London et al. 2013, ISBN 978-1-4081-2254-9 , p. 197.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Rainer Hutterer: Volcano Forest Shrew. In: Jonathan Kingdon, Thomas M. Butynski, David CD Happold, Meredith Happold (Eds.): Mammals of Africa. Volume 4: Hedgehogs, shrews and bats. Bloomsbury, London et al. 2013, ISBN 978-1-4081-2254-9 , p. 197
  2. ↑ Prince K. Kaleme, John Bates, Julian Kerbis Peterhans, Mwanga M. Jacques and Benjamin R. Ndara: Small mammal diversity and habitat requirements in the Kahuzi Biega National Park and surrounding areas, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Integrative Zoology 2, 2007, pp. 239-246
  3. ↑ Deogratias Tuyisingize, Julian C. Kerbis Peterhans, Gary N. Bronner and Tara S. Stoiński: Small mammal community composition in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Bonn zoological Bulletin 62 (2), 2013, pp. 177-185
  4. ^ Rainer Hutterer, Jan Riegert and Ondřej Sedláčeka: A tiny new species of Sylvisorex (Mammalia: Soricidae) from the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. Bonn zoological contributions 56 (3), 2009, pp. 151–157
  5. ↑ J. Kerbis Peterhans and R. Hutterer: Sylvisorex vulcanorum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. ( [1] ); last accessed on May 3, 2015

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