365.

Gracile White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura maurisca

French: Crocidure d’Entebbe / German: Grazile Nacktschwanz-Weil 3zahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarafa gracil

Other common names: Dark Shrew, Gracile Naked-tailed Shrew

Taxonomy. Crocidura maurisca Thomas, 1904,

Entebbe, Uganda.

Crocidura maurisca has been included in the Uttoralismaurisca clade, and it seems to be closely related to C. lanosa, although additional genetic studies are needed to better rly this clade. Monotypic.

Distribution. E DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, S Uganda, and an isolated record in N Gabon.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 79-97 mm (males) and 75-81 mm (females), tail 60—72 mm (males) and 60-64 mm (females), ear 8-10 mm (males) and 8-9 (females), hindfoot 17-19-5 mm (males) and 14-5—17 mm (females); weight 10-18 g (males) and 8-3-10 g (females). The Gracile White-toothed Shrew is medium-sized, with long hair. Males are generally larger than females. Dorsal pelage is black, and venteris gray. Feet are black, and hindfeet are relatively long. Tail is ¢.89% of head-body length, nearly naked but has longer bristle hairs throughout, and dark. Skull has a long rostrum and narrow maxillary width; unicuspids have small cusps and large cingula. There are three unicuspids.

Habitat. Montane sedge swamps in Albertine Rift Valley, Kibira National Park, and Echuya and Mubwindi swampsat elevations of 1500-2400 m.

Food and Feeding. Stomach samples of Gracile White-toothed Shrews have contained species of Orthoptera, Homoptera, Araneidae, and Diptera.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Gracile White-toothed Shrews are primarily active at night, but some individuals have been noted to be active during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Although Gracile White-toothed Shrews have a small and scattered distribution and are considered quite rare, they are relatively common in areas with their favored habitats.

Bibliography. Cassola (2016a0), Dieterlen & Heim de Balsac (1979), Goodman et al. (2001), Heim de Balsac & Meester (1977), Kerbis Peterhans & Bober (2013), Stanley et al. (2015).