Crocidura eisentrauti Heim de Balsac 1957

413.

Fisentraut’s White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura eisentraut

French: Crocidure d'Eisentraut / German: Eisentraut-Weifszahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Eisentraut

Other common names: Eisentraut's \White-toothed Shrew

Taxonomy. Crocidura eisentrauti Heim de Balsac, 1957,

“ Johann-Albrecht-Hiitte, 2900 m,” Mount Cameroon, Cameroon.

Crocidura eisentrauti does not include “vul- can?’ as formerly believed. This name is currently listed under C. virgata. Phylogenetic relationship of C. eisentrauti has not yet assessed. The last specimens were collected in 1950s. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to top of Mt Cameroon, Cameroon.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 68-78 mm,tail 53-62 mm, ear 6-10 mm hindfoot 11-14 mm; weight 8-11 g. Condylo-incisive lengths are 19-5-20-4 mm. Eisentraut’s Whitetoothed Shrew is small. Tail is ¢.79% of head-body length. Pelage is soft and dense, and hairs on mid-dorsal line are 4-5 mm long. Dorsal pelage is brown to soft reddish brown, with gray-based hairs on basal one-half and brown terminally. Underparts are grayish brown; hairs are gray-based, with pale brown to grayish brown or white tips. Ears are dark and anteriorly partly concealed by hair. Forefeet and hindfeet are brown to grayish brown. Tail is bicolored, brown above, and pale or whitish below. Pilosity is 33-55%. Skull is flattened, slightly rising at posterior end. Upper incisors are small and hooked. First unicuspid is large and slightly pointed, second and third unicuspid subequal in size, and all three have weakly developed cingulum. M? is medium-sized.

Habitat. Alpine grasslands up to bare lava on the top of the volcano (Pic Isabel, 3000 m) and Schefflera (Araliaceae) montane forests (e.g. Refugium, 2000 m), overall at elevations of 1850-3000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Two pregnant Eisentraut’s White-toothed Shrews were captured at 3000 m in April; one had two embryos, and the other had three embryos.

Activity patterns. Eisentraut’s White-toothed Shrew is nocturnal and diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Eisentraut’s White-toothed Shrew has a restricted distribution limited to an area of only ¢.10 km? and is under threat from volcanic eruptions. Last eruption was reported in June 2000. Mount Cameroon is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa, having erupted seven times in the last 100 years. One major eruption could potentially cause Eisentraut’s White-toothed Shrew to rapidly become Critically Endangered or even Extinct. Mount Cameroon is not officially a national park, but it is generally protected due to limited, controlled access.

Bibliography. Eisentraut (1963, 1973), Heim de Balsac (1957, 1959), Heim de Balsac & Meester (1977), Hutterer (2005b, 2013)), Kennerley (2016q), Nicoll & Rathbun (1990), Suh et al. (2003).