443.

Montane Mouse Shrew

Myosorex blarina

French: Musaraigne du Rwenzori / German: Ruwenzori-Mausspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana raton de montana

Other common names: Mountain Mouse Shrew, Rwenzori Mouse Shrew

Taxonomy. Myosorex blarina Thomas, 1906,

Mubuku Valley, 10,000 feet (= 3048 m), Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda.

Previously included M. babaulti and M. zinki, but both are now regularly recognized as distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Rwenzori Mts of NE DR Congo and SW Uganda; possibly also in Kibale, SW Uganda.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 81-93 mm, tail 31-40 mm, ear 6-7 mm, hindfoot 13-16 mm; weight 13-5-18 g. The Montane Mouse Shrew is a medium-sized shrew with thick, velvetlike pelage. Dorsal pelage is blackish brown and slightly iridescent; ventral pelage is slightly grayer than the dorsum. Ears are short and hidden under the pelage. Feet are blackish; the claws on the forefeet are very large. Tail is medium-length (c.42% of head-body length), naked, and blackish. Skull is stout and heavy; teeth are small with delicate anterior incisors. There are four unicuspids: the first is large; the second is just under halfits size; the third is three-quarters the size of the first; and the fourth is minute.

Habitat. Found in forests amidst bracken and near stream edges at 1900 m; in ericaceous shrubland at 3370 m; and in the alpine zone with Lobelia (Campanulaceae) and Senecio (Asteraceae). Type series was collected in a very swampy area. Elevational range is 1800-4000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Montane Mouse Shrews are terrestrial and mostly nocturnal, although some specimens have been taken during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The Montane Mouse Shrew is rare and has a very restricted range.

Bibliography. Bober & Kerbis Peterhans (2013b), Kerbis Peterhans (2008), Kerbis Peterhans et al. (1998), Willows-Munro & Matthee (2009).