Crocidura zimmeri, Osgood, 1936
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870496 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A0A6-87CA-FF0C-A09914B3F90E |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Crocidura zimmeri |
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Upemba White-toothed Shrew
French: Crocidure de Zimmer / German: Upemba-Weil 3zahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Upemba
Other common names: Zimmer's Shrew
Taxonomy. Crocidura zimmeri Osgood, 1936 View in CoL ,
“ Lualaba River , Katobwe ,” near Bukama, Katanga Province, DR Congo.
Status and taxonomic relationship of C. zimmer : are unknown. It is possibly a part of the C. turba species complex. It is known only from the type series (three specimens) at the type locality. Monotypic.
Distribution. Known only from Upemba National Park, Katanga Province, SE DR Congo. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 112-123 mm, tail 48-56 mm, hindfoot 17-5— 18-2 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive length is 27-1 mm (type specimen). The Upemba White-toothed Shrew is very large and one of the most distinctive species of Crocidura . It is strikingly colored, with very dark blackish brown dorsal pelage and considerably paler ventral pelage with silvery tinge, not sharply demarcated from
upperparts. Hindfeet are brown. Tail is ¢.45% of head—body length, thickened at base, blackish, and not bicolored. Tail has numerous long bristle hairs for three-quarters of its length (pilosity 70-80%). Skull is large and heavy, with somewhat arched rather than straight dorsal profile. Interorbital region is broad, and sagittal crest is well developed and extends forward nearly to nasals. Dentition is heavy but less so than in the African Giant White-toothed Shrew ( C. olivieri ). Second upper unicuspid is slightly larger than third.
Habitat. Probably wetlands. The Upemba White-toothed Shrew is only known from Upemba National Park, situated on the Kibara Plateau (bordered in the west by the Lualaba River and numerous lakes). Habitat of the Plateau consists mainly of gently rolling grasslands (elevations 1750-1800 m) that are cut by numerous streams, which rise on the Plateau and are lined with gallery forests. Grasslands are bordered by woodlands dominated with Uapaca (Phyllanthaceae) .
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Upemba White-toothed Shrew at Katobwe coexists with the African Giant White-toothed Shrew and the Lesser Red White-toothed Shrew ( C. hirta ).
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on IUCN Red List. The Upemba White-toothed Shrew lacks information on its extent of occurrence, natural history, threats, and conservation status. It might be threatened by gold and diamond mining. In Upemba National Park, there are major threats such as agriculture expansion, burning, and over fishing. Additional research is needed to clarify status of the Upemba White-toothed Shrew.
Bibliography. Gerrie & Kennerley (2016v), Heim de Balsac & Meester (1977), Hutterer (2005b, 20132), Nicoll & Rathbun (1990), Osgood (1936).
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.
