Crocidura beccarii, Dobson, 1887
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870098 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A07B-8717-FF13-A6641AA7F6B4 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Crocidura beccarii |
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Beccari’s White-toothed Shrew
Crocidura beccarii View in CoL
French: Crocidure de Beccari / German: Beccari-WeiRzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Beccari
Other common names: Beccari's Shrew
Taxonomy. Crocidura beccarii Dobson, 1887 View in CoL ,
Mount Singgalang, western Suma- tra, Indonesia.
Includes weber: as a synonym. Based on extensive molecular data (both mtDNA and nDNA sequences), most closely re- lated and sister to C. vosmaeri from Bangka Island (off south-east Sumatra). Nuclear DNA nests the latter within the C. beccarii clade. Owing to their close genetic and morphological similarities, the insular
form might represent a vicariant subspecies of C. beccarii . One of the individuals of C. beccarii sampled on Mount Singgalang had a distinct mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene haplotype that was closer to the lineage found in another Sumatran shrew, C. hutanis , with no evidence of nuclear hybridization, suggesting historical mitochondrial gene introgression between these closely related species. Monotypic.
Distribution. Endemic to mountain ranges of N and W Sumatra. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head—body 56-73 mm, tail 51-62 mm, ear 7 mm, hindfoot 12-13 mm; weight 5-8 g. Beccari’s White-toothed Shrew is one of the smallest shrews in Sumatra. General coloration is dark brown to black, slightly paler and tinged with chestnut below. Tail is slender, about the size of head—body length, cylindrical, and covered with hairs hiding scales; few long bristle hairs present along its basal quarter. Feet are black, unlike in other Sumatran shrews. The slightly larger Hutan White-toothed Shrew ( C. hutanis ) has more grayish underfur, a relatively shorter tail (c.60-80% of head-body length), longer hindfeet (more than 13 mm) and more robust dentition. Density and length of pelage probably depend on altitude, but it is usually dense and long (c.4 mm at mid-dorsum). The similarsized Bangka White-toothed Shrew (C. vosmaeri ) has shorter pelage (2 mm at mid-dorsum) and smaller feet, and lives allopatrically from Beccari’s White-toothed Shrew. The Sumatran White-toothed Shrew ( C. neglecta ) is also present on Sumatra butis even smaller (under 5 g). Chromosomal complement has 2n = 38 and FN = 56 with subtelocentric X and submetacentric Y chromosomes; it is similar to that of other Crocidura from Sundaland.
Habitat. Mostly distributed in primary and secondary montane and submontane tropical forests, at an altitudinal range of 1600-2100 m; there are unconfirmed records at lower altitudes. Beccari’s White-toothed Shrew was captured on the floor of primary and secondary rainforests with sparse ground vegetation.
Food and Feeding. Beccari’s White-toothed Shrew feeds on invertebrates; remains of grasshoppers and coleopterans found in two stomach contents, but no other precise data are available.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. Beccari’s White-toothed Shrew is terrestrial and probably active mainly throughout the night, as in other tropical Crocidura shrews.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Other terrestrial mammals caught in the same habitat included the Sumatran Long-tailed White-toothed Shrew ( C. paradoxura ) and Sumatran Giant White-toothed Shrew ( C. lepidura ) and another largebodied insectivore, the Short-tailed Gymnure ( Hylomys suillus). No precise data are available for Beccari’s White-toothed Shrew.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List in view of its occurrence in primary and secondary montane forests that are under less pressure from deforestation. It also occurs in well protected areas such as the Gunung Leuser National Park.
Bibliography. Cassola (2016ac), Demos et al. (2016), Dobson (1887), Esselstyn & Brown (2009), Esselstyn et al. (2009), Hutterer (2005b), Jentink (1890), Ruedi (1995), Ruedi & Vogel (1995).
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.
