Crocidura elgonius, Osgood, 1910
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870343 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A05E-8732-FA25-AFB11B00F52F |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Crocidura elgonius |
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Elgon White-toothed Shrew
Crocidura elgonius View in CoL
French: Crocidure de I'Elgon / German: Elgon-Weil 3zahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Elgon
Other common names: Elgon Shrew
Taxonomy. Crocidura bicolor elgonius Osgood, 1910 View in CoL ,
“ Kirui , near Mt. Elgon, British East Africa [= Kenya].”
The phylogenetic relationships of this species are uncertain. Monotypic.
Distribution. W & S Kenya (Mt Elgon, Cherangani Hills, Eldoret, Kisumu, Lake Nakuru, Muguga, and Nairobi) and E Tanzania (East and West Usambara, Uluguru, and Udzungwa Mts); it may occur in adjacent EC Uganda. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 55-68 mm, tail 33-40 mm, ear 7-8 mm, hindfoot 9-11 mm; weight 2-4-6 g. The Elgon White-toothed Shrew is a small shrew with short hair and prominent ears that lack long hairs. Dorsal pelage is brown; ventral pelage is dirty white, speckled with gray; hairs on dorsum are pure brown and those on ventrum are dirty white with a gray base. Forefeet are paler than the dorsum; the hindfeet are dark brown on the distal two toes and the edge of the foot, and are yellowish on the inside. Tail is of medium length (c.55% of head-body length), bicolored, being dark brown above and paler below, and relatively hairy, with longer bristle hairs mixed in throughout. There are three unicuspids.
Habitat. Moist tropical montane forest; also disturbed habitats near montane forest, and other highland habitats. In the Udzungwa Mountains, the Elgon White-toothed Shrew is common in dry forests at elevations of 600 m but absent from wetter forests above 1000 m. It has been recorded in rotting vegetation at the edge of a swamp.
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. Juveniles have been captured in August and September.
Activity patterns. Elgon White-toothed Shrews are terrestrial and nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Elgon White-toothed Shrew is the most numerous shrew in drier forests, although its distribution is very fragmented and suitable habitat is declining. The species is found in the Mount Elgon National Park.
Bibliography. Aggundey & Schlitter (1986), Cassola (2016ag), Heim de Balsac & Meester (1977), Osgood (1910a), Stanley (2013b), Stanley, Kihaule et al. (1998), Stanley, Nikundiwe et al. (2005).
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.
