Microgale nasoloi, Jenkins & Goodman, 1999

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Tenrecidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 134-172 : 172

30.

Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec

Microgale nasoloi

French: Microgale de Nasolo / German: Nasolo-Kleintenrek / Spanish: Tenrec musarafa de Nasolo

Taxonomy. Microgale nasoloiJenkins & Goodman, 1999 ,

“Vohibasia Forest [= Forét de Vohibasia], 59 km northeast of Sakaraha, Province de Toliara, southwestern Madagascar, 22°27-5’ S, 44°50-5’ E, 780 m.”

Microgale nasoloi and M. fotsifotsy form a clade. Monotypic.

Distribution. W (Amboropotsy and Lambokely forests) & SW (Vohibasia and Analavelona forests) Madagascar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 70-81 mm, tail 50-62 mm, ear 15-16 mm, hindfoot 11-14 mm; weight 6-14 g. Tail of Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec is 60-80% of head-body length. Eyes are moderately large, and pinnae are large and prominent. Pelage is soft and

fine in texture, gray dorsally, grading into darker gray ventrally. Tail is gray, slightly darker above than below, and well covered with long scale hairs.

Habitat. Transitional dry deciduous forests, an isolated massif with eastern humid forest and western deciduous forest elements, lowland dry deciduous forest, and dry and humid to sub-humid forests at elevations of 80-1050 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Three embryos were found in a wild-caught Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec .

Activity patterns. Based on the trap position of 1-5 m above the ground where the type specimen was caught, Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec is probably terrestrial but capable of scrambling on branches and vines in the lower understory.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec is known from only four locations and has an extent of occurrence of ¢.13,000 km* with continuing habitat degradation. Populations are probably decreasing. Major threats are habitat loss and degradation due to deforestation for pastoral grazing and use offires for forest clearing.

Bibliography. Everson et al. (2016), Goodman et al. (2013), Jenkins (2003), Jenkins & Goodman (1999), Soarimalala & Goodman (2008, 2011), Stephenson et al. (2016ad).

Figures

1. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi), 2. Greater Hedgehog Tenrec (Setifer setosus), 3. Tailless Tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus), 4. Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemacenteles semispinosus), 5. Highland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps), 6. Large-eared Tenrec (Geogale aurita), 7. Mole-like Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes hova), 8. Four-toed Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes tetradactylus), 9. Dobson’s Shrew Tenrec (Nesogale dobsoni), 10. Talazac’s Shrew Tenrec (Nesogale talazact), 11. Montane Shrew Tenrec (Macrogale monticola), 12. Dryad Shrew Tenrec (Microgale dryas), 13. Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale brevicaudata), 14. Pygmy Shrew Tenrec (Microgale parvula), 15. Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Mucrogale longicaudata), 16. Drouhard’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale drouhardi), 17. Taiva Shrew Tenrec (Microgale taiva), 18. Pale Shrew (Tenrec Mucrogalefotsifotsy), 19. Greater Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale principula), 20. Cowan's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale cowant), 21. Naked-nosed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gymnorhyncha), 22. Shrew-toothed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale soricoides), 23. Major's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale major), 24. Gracile Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gracilis), 25. Thomas’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale thomasi), 26. Grandidier’s Shrew Tenrec (Muicrogale grandidieri), 27. Web-footed Tenrec (Microgale mergulus), 28. Least Shrew Tenrec (Muicrogale pusilla), 29. Dark Shrew (Tenrec Microgalejobihely), 30. Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale nasoloi), 31. Jenkins’s Shrew (Tenrec Microgalejenkinsae)

Distribution. W (Amboropotsy and Lambokely forests) & SW (Vohibasia and Analavelona forests) Madagascar.