Forest musk shrews
| Forest musk shrews | ||||||||||||
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Below: Sylvisorex oriundus ; above: Crocidura jacksoni |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Sylvisorex | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1904 |
The forest musk shrews ( Sylvisorex ) are a genus of 15 species of shrew that lives in central Africa .
The shrews of this genus are relatively small, they reach head body lengths of 45 to 100 millimeters and a weight of 3 to 12 grams. The length of the tail is variable, in some species it is only half as long as the body, in others it is almost the same length. The long, silky fur of these animals is gray on the upper side, the underside is slightly lighter.
The distribution area of this genus extends from Nigeria to Uganda and Tanzania . Most of these animals live in forests. Many species are predominantly tree-dwellers and mostly live in the branches, while others probably live temporarily on the ground. Due to the ongoing deforestation, some species are considered endangered or threatened.
species
The exact number of species is still unclear. Wilson & Reeder (2005) distinguish the following twelve types, plus three newly described types:
- Sylvisorex akaibei isat homein the north of the Congo Basin .
- The Cameroon wood musk shrew ( Sylvisorex camerunensis ) is only known from the Cameroon Mountain . According to the IUCN, the species is endangered ( vulnerable ).
- Sylvisorex corbeti lives in Nigeria
- Grant's wood shrew ( Sylvisorex granti ) is widespread from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Kenya and Tanzania .
- The Howell's wood shrew ( Sylvisorex howelli ) is only known from a few places in Tanzania.
- The Bioko wood shrew ( Sylvisorex isabellae ) is endemic to the island of Bioko and is considered endangered .
- The Johnstons forest musk shrew ( Sylvisorex johnstoni ) is common from Cameroon to Tanzania.
- The Kongana forest musk shrew ( Sylvisorex konganensis ) lives in the Congo basin and was not scientifically described until the 1990s.
- The moon wood shrew ( Sylvisorex lunaris ) lives in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Rwanda , Burundi and Uganda .
- The Cameroon Mountain Shrew ( Sylvisorex morio ) only lives on the Cameroon Mountain and is considered endangered .
- The great wood shrew ( Sylvisorex ollula ) is distributed from eastern Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- The small wood shrew ( Sylvisorex oriundus ) lives in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Sylvisorex silvanorum lives in the Bamenda highlands , Cameroon
- The Korup wood shrew ( Sylvisorex pluvialis ) from the Central African Republic was not scientifically described until 1996.
- The volcanic pygmy shrew ( Sylvisorex vulcanorum ) lives in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.
Another species, S. megalura , is now classified in the genus Suncus .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Itoka Mukinzi, Rainer Hutterer , Patrick Barriere: A new species of Sylvisorex (Mammalia: Soricidae) from lowland forests north of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. In: Mammalia. International Journal of the Systematics, Biology and Ecology of Mammals. Vol. 73, Issue 2, May 2009, pp. 130-134, ISSN 1864-1547 (online), ISSN 0025-1461 (print), doi : 10.1515 / MAMM.2009.031 .
- ↑ Rainer Hutterer & Christian Montermann: A large new species of Sylvisorex (Mammalia: Soricidae) from Nigeria and the first record of Sylvisorex ollula from the country . Bonn Zoological Contributions, Volume 56, Issue 3, Pages 201-208, Bonn, September 2009
- ^ Rainer Hutterer, Jan Riegert & Ondřej Sedlácek: A tiny new species of Sylvisorex (Mammalia: Soricidae) from the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon . Bonn Zoological Contributions, Volume 56, Issue 3, Pages 151–157, Bonn, September 2009
Web links
- Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .