168.

Van Sung’s Brown-toothed Shrew

Chodsigoa caovansunga

French: Musaraigne de Cao Van Sung / German: Van Sung-Braunzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de dientes marrones de Van Sung

Other common names: Van Sung’s Shrew

Taxonomy. Chodsigoa caovansunga Lunde, Musser & Nguyen Truong Son, 2003,

Mt. Tay Con Linh II, 1500 m (22°45’27"N, 104°49°49”E), Cao Bo Commune, Vi Xuyen District, Ha Giang Province, Vietnam .

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from two localities in SW China (S Yunnan) and N Vietnam (Ha Giang Province); it might have a broader range in S Yunnan and N Vietnam.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 58-74 mm, tail 51-83 mm, hindfoot 14-16 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive lengths are 17-3—-18-8 mm, and tooth rows are 7-6-8-1 mm. Dorsal pelage of Van Sung’s Brown-toothed Shrew is dark brownish gray, and ventral pelage is paler. Tail is longer than or equal to head-body length,is distinctly bicolored, and has a naked tip. Braincase is very dome-shaped. Rostrum is short and narrow and gradually tapers in premaxillary region. Mandible is stout, with robust coronoid process. The sole specimen from China is larger than those from Vietnam, although they are genetically related to each other. There are three upper unicuspids.

Habitat. Montane forest at elevations of 1300-2000 m in northern Vietnam and ravine rainforest at 350 m in Yunnan, China.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Van Sung’s Brown-toothed Shrew has been only described recently and less than a dozen specimens from two localities are known. Habitat is probably decreasing due to deforestation and agriculture. It is not known if Van Sung’s Brown-toothed Shrew can adapt to anthropogenic habitat.

Bibliography. Chen Zhongzheng et al. (2017), He, Deng Ke & Jiang Xuelong (2012), Lunde et al. (2003).