438.

Kihaule’s Mouse Shrew

Myosorex kihaulei

French: Musaraigne de Kihaule / German: Kihaule-Mausspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana ratén de Kihaule

Taxonomy. Myosorex kihaulei Stanley & Hutterer, 2000,

19- 5 km west of Chita, 2000 m Udzungwa Scarp Forest Reserve, Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania.

Seems to be sister to M. geata, although further sampling is needed to confirm this relationship. Monotypic.

Distribution. Udzungwa Mts, SC Tanzania.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 70-84 mm, tail 36-46 mm, ear 6-9 mm, hindfoot 12-14 mm; weight 8-125 g. Kihaule’s Mouse Shrew is a medium-sized shrew. Dorsal pelage is dark brown, the hairs gray-based, brown-tipped; ventral pelage is brown, less richly so than in the Geata Mouse Shrew (M. geata). Claws are robust and hindfeet have large, well rounded tubercles. Tail is medium-length (c.53% of head-body length), and dark. Skull is robust, especially the rostrum. There are four unicuspids.

Habitat. Primarily found in wet parts of montane forests, such as swampy areas;also in bamboo forests. Occurs above 900 m and up to 2000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. A pregnant female with two embryos was captured in July or August (not stated which month).

Activity patterns. Kihaule’s Mouse Shrew is mostly nocturnal, although diurnal activity has been reported.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Kihaule’s Mouse Shrew is relatively rare within its small and fragmented range, and the amount of viable habitat is declining.

Bibliography. Howell & Hutterer (2008), Stanley (2013j), Stanley & Hutterer (2000), Stanley et al. (2002), Taylor etal. (2013).