Crocidura hirta, Peters, 1852
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870444 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A0AF-87CC-FA2A-ADE1115DFBF7 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Crocidura hirta |
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Lesser Red White-toothed Shrew
French: Crocidure roussatre / German: Ockerfarbene WeiRzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana roja menor
Other common names: Lesser Red Musk Shrew
Taxonomy. Crocidura hirta Peters, 1852 View in CoL ,
Tete, Zambezia Province, Mozambique (17°S).
Crocidura hirta seemsto be sister to C. flave- scens and in the C. olivier: group, although additional sampling is needed to confirm this relationship. C. erica might be included under C. hirta . Four subspecies are sometimes recognized ( hirta , deserti, lang, and velutina), but they are not recognized here even though they could represent
distinct taxa (especially deserti, which might even be a distinct species). Monotypic.
Distribution. Tanzania, SE DR Congo, E Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, E Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, N & E South Africa, and E Swaziland. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 69-96 mm, tail 39-59 mm, ear 8-12 mm, hindfoot 12-16 mm; weight 8-24 g. The Lesser Red White-toothed Shrew is relatively large. Dorsal pelage is cinnamon-brown, grizzled with reddish fawn to dark brown (hairs are slate-gray basally, with fawn subterminal band and brown or buffy brown tips), and ventral pelage is paler with yellow to fawn tinge (hairs are gray-based, with yellow to fawn tips); dorsum and venter are sharply demarcated. Feet are fawn-colored. Tail is variable in length, ranging from 55% of head-body length in South Africa up to 90% of head-body length in central Africa; very hairy; and bicolored, being brown dorsally and pale gray ventrally. Females have six inguinal nipples. There are three unicuspids. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 50 and FN = 66.
Habitat. Wide variety of habitats including montane forest, bushveld, savannas, and woodlands, always with some sort of cover. Lesser Red White-toothed Shrews are relatively commensal with humans and are often found in human dwellings and gardens.
Food and Feeding. The Lesser Red White-toothed Shrew eats a wide variety of invertebrates and occasionally vertebrates, including insects (termites, beetles, crickets,etc.), spiders, centipedes, snails, and small rodents. Foraging occurs under dense vegetation during the day for protection against predators.
Breeding. Reproduction of the Lesser Red White-toothed Shrew occurs during the wet season and early dry season throughout most ofits distribution. In South Africa, breeding can occur in September—May but mostly in January-February. In Zimbabwe, breeding has been recorded in September, December, and February. “Flehmen display” occurs during breeding, followed by chasing for c¢.7 minutes until the female allows copulation. After copulation, the male might be dragged behind the female for a short period of time before being released and leaving. Gestation last ¢.28 days, and litters have 2-5 young (average 4-1 in South Africa and 3-6 in Zimbabwe). Young start to walk at c.9 days old, and caravanning has been observed from this time until day 18. Eyes and ears open at c.12 days old, and pelage is fully grown by c.14 days old. Young
are weaned at c.18 days old. Postpartum estrus occurs in females, and litters can be conceived consecutively.
Activity patterns. Lesser Red White-toothed Shrews are primarily nocturnal but can be found foraging during the day. They are most active during dusk, with smaller peak at dawn. This is opposite to whatis observed in the Greater Red White-toothed Shrew (C. flavescens ), indicating some degree of temporal separation between these two species. Nests are usually saucer-shaped and are generally found at the end of a long tunnel underneath a rock.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Lesser Red White-toothed Shrew is aggressive and territorial, but much less so than the Greater Red Whitetoothed Shrew. Scent marking using lateral glands and strong scented fecal piles seem to indicate that a territory is protected. Vocalizations include loud squeaks when alarmed after meeting unfamiliar conspecifics. Grooming is done with hindfeet for scratching, forefeet for face washing, and tongue for licking pelage.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Lesser Red White-toothed Shrew has a wide distribution and is considered common throughout much ofit. It is well studied and is common in human dwellings.
Bibliography. Baxter & Meester (1982), Cassola (2016ax), Dickman (1995), Hirakawa & Haber! (1998), Jacquet et al. (2013), Meester (1959, 1960, 1963), Vogel et al. (2013).
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.
