Crocidura hirta Peters 1852

Crocidura hirta Peters 1852, Reise nach Mossambique, Saugethiere: 78.

Type Locality: Mozambique, Tette, 17°S.

Vernacular Names: Lesser Red Musk Shrew.

Synonyms: Crocidura annellata Peters 1852; Crocidura beirae Dollman 1915; Crocidura bloyeti Dekeyser 1943; Crocidura canescens Peters 1852; Crocidura deserti Schwann 1906; Crocidura flavidula Thomas and Schwann 1905; Crocidura langi Cabrera 1925; Crocidura luimbalensis Hill and Carter 1937; Crocidura velutina Thomas 1904 .

Distribution: Angola, Dem. Rep. Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Gureev (1979) listed beirae and deserti as distinct species; the latter may well be separable. C. bloyeti, formerly listed as a species, is included here because it was based on a juvenile hirta . The Angolan erica may also belong here. The karyotype of hirta (2n = 50, FN = 66) is shared by olivieri, viaria, greenwoodi, and attila (Schlitter et al., 1999) . For synonyms see Heim de Balsac and Meester (1977).