Crocidura kivuana, Heim de Balsac, 1968
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870367 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A053-8738-FA17-AF8C1312FE61 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Crocidura kivuana |
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Kivu White-toothed Shrew
French: Crocidure du Kivu / German: Kivu-WeiRzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarafna de Kivu
Other common names: Kivu Shrew
Taxonomy. Crocidura kivuana Heim de Balsac, 1968 View in CoL ,
Tshibati , Kivu, DR Congo.
Crocidura kivuana is recognized as mem- ber of the C. monax-C. littoralisC. mau- risca group. It is one of three Albertine Rift Valley endemics ( C. kivuana , C. stenocephala , C. lanosa ). In the phylogenetic tree estimated from Bayesian analysis of cytochrome-b sequences by W. T. Stanley and colleagues in 2015, C. kivuana was sister to C. niobe on the one hand and related
to C. fumosa , C. =and C. munissii on the other hand. It was only distantly related to C. maurisca , C. littoralis , and C. stenocephala . Monotypic.
Distribution. Restricted to the Kahuzi Mts in E DR Congo; confined to a small montane region W of Lake Kivu between Lwiro and Mt Kahuzi (1700-3300 m). Probably widely distributed in undisturbed areas above 2000 m. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head—body 64-88 mm, tail 60-75 mm, ear 5-10 mm, hindfoot 10-16 mm; weight 5-13 g. Condylo-incisive lengths are 20-1-21-8 mm. The Kivu White-toothed Shrew is small to medium-sized and resembles the Gracile Whitetoothed Shrew ( C. maurisca ) and the Congo White-toothed Shrew (C. congobelgica ). It also resembles the Smoky White-toothed Shrew ( C. fumosa ) and its allies with long tails and broad interorbital regions. Dorsal pelage is blackish with distinct brown tinge, especially on head. Base hairs are silvery gray, and tips are blackish with brown tinge. Underparts are ash-gray without any brownish tinge and paler than dorsal parts. Ears are naked. Hindfeet are brownish, with short hair. Forefeet are paler. Tail is ¢.89% of head-body length, blackish brown above, and paler below. Bristle hairs are present on tail base or lacking (pilosity is 0-20%), and some individuals have slight pencil at tip. Skull has domed cranium and broad maxillary region. Upper third unicuspid is larger than upper second unicuspid (vs. the Gracile White-toothed Shrew and the Congo White-toothed Shrew in which third upper unicuspid is smaller than second).
Habitat. Associated with swamps. At lower elevations, swamps with sedges ( Cyperaceae ) such as Cladium mariscus and Cyperus latifolius are preferred habitats. At higher elevations, Kivu White-toothed Shrews are found in montane swamps with C. latifolius, primary and secondary mixed montane forests, and rarely in bamboo forest (2400 m). One individual was caught in afroalpine vegetation ( Ericaceae ) on top of Mount Kahuzi at 3300 m.
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. Four female Kivu White-toothed Shrews were pregnant during the wet season (October, November, and March). Embryo number was 1-2 /female (average 1-7). Sex ratio was 23 males:11 females, based on captures in Kahuzi-Biega, DR Congo.
Activity patterns. No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Kivu White-toothed Shrew is abundant in some swampy habitats, representing ¢.50% of recorded shrews. It is often syntopic with the Kahuzi White-toothed Swamp Shrew ( C. stenocephala ) in some swamps on Mount Kahuzi.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Kiva White-toothed Shrew is restricted to one location and has an extent of occurrence of ¢.1221 km?. It is currently not under threat, butit is considered plausible that it could be threatened in the future following drainage of wetland habitat. It occurs in swamps in Kahuzi-Biéga National Park. There is a need to prevent any future habitat loss in the restricted distribution of the Kivu White-toothed Shrew, and additional studies are needed in to fully understand its natural history.
Bibliography. Dieterlen (2013a), Dieterlen & Heim de Balsac (1979), Heim de Balsac (1968a), Heim de Balsac & Meester (1977), Hutterer (1982, 2005b), Kaleme et al. (2007), Kennerley (2016k), Nicoll & Rathbun (1990), Stanley et al. (2015).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
