217.

Volcano Forest Shrew

Sylvisorex vulcanorum

French: Pachyure des volcans / German: Vulkan-Waldmoschusspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de bosque de los Volcanes

Other common names: Volcano Shrew

Taxonomy. Sylvisorex vulcanorum Hutterer & W. N. Verheyen, 1985,

Karisoke (0°28’S, 29°29'E, 3100 m), Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Albertine Rift of EC DR Congo, SW Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 43-56 mm, tail 47-51 mm, ear 6-7 mm, hindfoot 10-11 mm; weight 3-5 g. The Volcano Forest Shrew is the smallest species of Sylvisorex,

along with Johnston's Forest Shrew (S. johnstoni). It has soft, fine pelage; dorsum is dark sepia-brown to blackish brown; and venteris slightly grayer than dorsum. Ears are

small and slightly concealed by fur. Feet are dark and covered, with small dark brown hairs. Tail is ¢.100% of head-body length, unicolored dark brown, and covered with small black bristles. Braincase is slightly domed; I' are short and slightly hooked; and M? are wide. There are four unicuspids.

Habitat. Various remnant montane habitats including tropical moist forest, swamps, and areas dominated by bamboo vegetation at elevations of 1780-3100 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Relatively long tail of the Volcano Forest Shrew suggests that it might be partly scansorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Volcano Forest Shrew has a small extent of occurrence (probably not much greater than 20,000 km*) and a probable decline in extent and quality of its habitat. It is presumably threatened at lower elevations by habitat loss from logging operations and general conversion of land to agricultural and other uses. It is present in some protected areas, including Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda.

Bibliography. Hutterer (2013aj), Hutterer & Verheyen (1985), Hutterer, Van der Straeten & Verheyen (1987), Kaleme et al. (2007), Kerbis Peterhans & Hutterer (2008a).