224.

Grauer’s Large-headed Shrew

Paracrocidura graven

French: Crocidure de Grauer / German: GrauerGroRkopfspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de cabeza grande de Grauer

Other common names: Grauer’'s Shrew

Taxonomy. Paracrocidura graueri Hutterer, 1986,

Sibatwa, 2000 m, Itombwe Mountains, DR Congo.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Sibatwa in the Itombwe Mts of E DR Congo.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 83 mm,tail 46 mm, ear 6-4 mm, hindfoot 14-8 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Grauer’s Large-headed Shrew is mediumsized, with large head and dense and short

pelage. Dorsum and venter are dark brown. Ears are short but conspicuous because they are not concealed by fur. Feet are pale and covered with very short hair. Tail is ¢.55% of head-body length,thick, covered with long bristle hairs, somewhat paler than dorsum, and unicolored brown. Skull has relatively long braincase, and rostrum is long. First incisors are long and hooked, and third molars are wide. There are three unicuspids.

Habitat. Montane forest at 2000 m elevation (holotype).

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. Grauer’s Large-headed Shrew is only known from the holotype collected in 1908 in the Itombwe Mountains. The region has been widely used for mining, farming, logging, and livestock grazing, and Grauer’s Large-headed Shrew is probably at risk of extinction. Additional sampling is needed to determine if it is still extant.

Bibliography. Gerrie & Kennerley (2016f), Hutterer (1986d, 2013af), Quérouil et al. (2001).