Myosorex schalleri, Heim de Balsac, 1966
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870561 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A0BF-87D3-FFF5-AFBC1295F5C7 |
treatment provided by |
Felipe |
scientific name |
Myosorex schalleri |
status |
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Schaller’s Mouse Shrew
Myosorex schalleri View in CoL
French: Musaraigne de Schaller / German: Schalle-Mausspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana ratén de Schaller
Taxonomy. Myosorex schalleri Heim de Balsac, 1966 View in CoL ,
Nzombe (Mwenga) , Itombwe Mountains , eastern DR Congo.
Species description was based on a single juvenile specimen; further investigation into the purported specific status of this taxon is certainly needed. Type locality was erroneously given as “Albert N. P.” by H. Heim de Balsac and J. Meester in 1977.
Monotypic.
Distribution. Itombwe Mts, EC DR Congo. View Figure
Descriptive notes. LL c.50-55 mm, tail 44 mm, hindfoot 10-5 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Only known from a single juvenile specimen; head-body length based on an estimate given by Heim de Balsac in 1967. Based on this, Schaller’s Mouse Shrew is the smallest species in the genus; it has short, not very dense pelage. Entire body is black. Tail is relatively long (¢.80% of head-body length) and completely black, appearing naked. Ears are not reduced or hidden and are more conspicuous than in other Myosorex . Skull is small, with an oval braincase and narrow interparietal bone, although the normal adult shape of the skull remains uncertain. Dentition is weaker than in congenerics. There are four unicuspids.
Habitat. Recorded from montane forest; the holotype was found dead on a forest road near Nzombe.
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Further research into the species’ taxonomic status and potential threats is needed.
Bibliography. Heim de Balsac (1967), Heim de Balsac & Meester (1977), Hutterer (1986d, 2013ad), Kennerley (2016v).
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.