187.

Malayan Pygmy Shrew

Suncus malayanus

French: Pachyure de Malaisie / German: Malaya-Wimperspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana pigmea de Malasia

Taxonomy. Pachyura malayana Kloss, 1917,

“ Bang Nara, Patani, Peninsular Siam [= Thailand].”

Suncus malayanus was first described in Pachyura, which was preoccupied by a ge- nus of beetles. Formerly, malayanus was included in etruscus; however, they clearly differ in ecological and morphological characteristics, which is why R. Hutterer in 2005 classified malayanus as a separate species. A phylogenetic study with mitochon-

drial gene sequences by H. Omar and colleagues in 2011 supported its distinct status but placed it in close relationship with etruscus from Europe and Sri Lanka. There are relatively high genetic distances between different samples of malayanus, which might indicate that elevation has been a significant influence in limiting gene flow among populations. Monotypic.

Distribution. Peninsular Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 37-51 mm, tail 22-34 mm, ear 4-4—6-5 mm, hindfoot 6-7-8-2 mm; weight 1-1-2-4 g. Pelage of the Malayan Pygmy Shrew is blackish bister dorsally and more grayish with brown ventrally. Hairs have pale glistening tips. Some long pale hairs are scattered over body, hindlegs, and tail. Tail is relatively long with sparse dark fur above and short, paler, and dense hair below. Bristle hairs of tail are 12-24 mm long. Large ears and feet are blackish, and forefeet are lighter and more naked than hindfeet. There are three small upper unicuspids. Skull is flattened. Greatest lengths ofskulls are 13-5-14-7 mm.

Habitat. Various forest habitats up to elevations of 1465 m. In lowlands of Ulu Gombak and Bukit Rengit, Malayan Pygmy Shrews inhabit extensive secondary evergreen forests. In Cameron Highlands, they occur in montane forests enclosed by tea plantations. At Bang Nara, they were located in tall dipterocarp forests.

Food and Feeding. Fragments of arthropod exoskeleton in stomach samples of Malayan Pygmy Shrews indicate a predominantly insectivorous diet.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Malayan Pygmy Shrew seems to be widespread on the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Population trends and threats are unknown. It seems dependent on forest structure; therefore, forest clearing to create plantations and harvest wood are problematic. It is unclear if the Malayan Pygmy Shrew occurs in any protected areas. Additional studies are needed to better understand its conservation status.

Bibliography. Corbet & Hill (1992), Correia (2016a), Davison (1984), Francis (2008), Hutterer (2005b), Kloss (1917a), Medway (1978), Omar (2012), Omaret al. (2011).