Crocidura usambarae, Dippenaar, 1980

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Soricidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 332-551 : 520

351.

Usambara White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura usambarae

French: Crocidure des Usambara / German: Usambara-WeiRRzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Usambara

Other common names: Usambara Shrew

Taxonomy. Crocidura usambarae Dippe-

naar, 1980, “‘Shume, 16 m n Lushoto,

Tanzania’ on specimen label. Shume lies

13 km NW Lushoto, western West Usam-

bara Mts (4-67°S, 38-25°E, 1585 m).” Crocidura usambarae is sister to C. tansaniana in the C. monax clade. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Magamba, Shume, Chome, and Mazumbai, NE Tanzania.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 75-93 mm,

tail 54-62 mm, ear 9-10 mm, hindfoot 15-16 mm; weight 8-4-10-5 g. The Usambara White-toothed Shrew is medium-sized, with short ears that protrude beyond pelage. Dorsal and ventral pelage is rich brown, with steel gray hairs and brown tips. Feet are slightly paler than dorsum. Tail is ¢.73% of head-body length, hairy, covered with sparse short bristle hairs (shorter than most species of Crocidura ) near basal 10-25% of its length, and dark brown. Cranium is relatively short and dorso-ventrally compressed; interorbital region is short and broad; braincase is stout and globose, with angular

superior facet; maxillary plate is narrow and has large lachrymal foramen; lambdoidal crest is relatively prominent; I' is short and stout; and upper incisors are wide in occlusal view, with narrow cingula. There are three unicuspids.

Habitat. Moist montane forest and adjacent habitats, including agricultural fields adjacent to montane forests in South Pare Mountains. Some Usambara White-toothed Shrews have been recorded in edge habitats of montane forests and disturbed montane forests. They are much less common butstill present in drier habitats. They have been recorded at elevations of 1580-1830 m in Mgamba, Shume, and Mazumai and above 1100 m in the Chome Forest Reserve.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Pregnant Usambara White-toothed Shrews with five embryos have been captured in July-September in Chome; one female with two embryos was captured in January in the West Usambara Mountains.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Usambara White-toothed Shrew has been recorded in the Chome Forest Reserve and is considered the most common shrew there (making up 70% of shrews captured), although it has a very restricted distribution and is threatened by encroachment of humans in the region and mining in East Usambaras.

Bibliography. Dippenaar (1980a), Giarla et al. (2017¢), Howell & Jenkins (1984), Stanley (2013g), Stanley, Goodman & Hutterer (1996), Stanley, Hutterer et al. (2015).

Figures

346. Mduma’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura mdumaz), 347. Montane White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura montis), 348. Newmark’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura newmarki), 349. Munissi’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura munissi), 350. Tanzanian White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura tansaniana), 351. Usambara White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura usambarae), 352. Kivu White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura kivuana), 353. Niobe’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura niobe), 354. Desert White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura smith), 355. Sahelian Tiny White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura pasha), 356. Roosevelt's White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura roosevelti), 357. Long-footed White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura crenata), 358. Grasse’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura grasset), 359. Bicolored African White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura fuscomurina), 360. Flat-headed White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura planiceps), 361. Crosse’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura crosser), 362. Jouvenet’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura jouvenetae), 363. Mauritanian White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura lusitania), 364. Naked-tailed White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura lttoralis), 365. Gracile White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura maurisca), 366. Reddish-gray White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura cyanea), 367. Swamp White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura mariquensis), 368. Lesser Gray-brown White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura silacea), 369. Dent's White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura denti), 370. Hildegarde’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura hildegardeae), 371. Mamfe White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura virgata), 372. Bates’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura batesi), 373. Sao Tome White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura thomensis), 374. Fingui White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura fingui), 375. Fraser’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura poensis), 376. Nigerian White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura nigeriae), 377. Hun White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura attila), 378. Fox’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura foxi), 379. Bittikofer’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura buettikoferi), 380. Therese’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura theresae), 381. Large-headed White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura grandiceps), 382. Wimmer’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura wimmenr), 383. African Black White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura nigrofusca), 384. Savanna Dwarf White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura nanilla), 385. Nimba White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura nimbae)

Distribution. Known only from Magamba, Shume, Chome, and Mazumbai, NE Tanzania.