146.

Assam Mole Shrew

Anourosorex assamensis

French: Musaraigne dAssam / German: Assam-Maulwurfspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana topo de Assam

Taxonomy. Anurosorex [sic] assamensis J. Anderson, 1875,

“ Subsasugu, Assam,” India.

Anourosorex assamensis had been included in A. squamipes as a subspecies until re- cently, but it is larger and has a different karyotype. Animals from Mizoram were originally reported as A. squamipes but are obviously A. assamensis based on their larger sizes. Distributional boundary between A. assamensis and A. squamipes is unclear.

Monotypic.

Distribution. SW China (Shannan in extreme SE Tibet [= Xizang]), NE India, and adjacent WC Myanmar (Tedim).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 85-119 mm, tail 10-15 mm, hindfoot 14-20 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive lengths are 25-2-28 mm, and tooth row is 11:4-13 mm. Pelage is uniformly black, and feet and tail are white. The Assam Mole Shrew is similar to the Chinese Mole Shrew (A. squamipes) but larger. Skull and mandible are robust. It has two upper unicuspids, first one is long, and second is much reduced. Upper P*, M' and M? are obviously quadrangle. Cusps of teeth are unpigmented. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 50 and FNa = 96.

Habitat. Usually damp forests at elevations of 1500-3100 m. The Assam Mole Shrew has been captured in anthropogenic habitats such as villages and in sewage lines.

Food and Feeding. The Assam Mole Shrew is insectivorous.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Assam Mole Shrew is a semi-fossorial species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population size of the Assam Mole Shrew is unknown, but because it can use anthropogenic habitats,its population is unlikely to be declining.

Bibliography. Hutterer (2005b), Kawada et al. (2014), Mandal & Das (1969), Mandal et al. (1995), Motokawa & Lin Liangkong (2002), Motokawa et al. (2004).