196.

Black Shrew

Suncus ater

French: Pachyure noire / German: Kinabalu-Moschusspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana negra

Taxonomy. Suncus ater Medway, 1965,

Lumu-Lumu, 5500 ft. (= 1676 m), Gunung (= Mt.) Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Prior to description of S. ater by Lord Med- way, it was treated under Crocidura foetida by G. M. Allen and H. J. Coolidge in 1940. Phylogenetic relationship is unknown. Additional studies are needed to elucidate its nearest relative and position within Suncus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from the holotype collected on Mt TEN Borneo; it might occur more widely in the Bornean Highlands.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 75 mm, tail 57 mm, ear 8 mm, hindfoot 12 mm (holotype). No specific data are available for body weight. The Black Shrew is uniformly blackish brown dorsally, slightly darker than the Bornean White-toothed Shrew (Crocudura foetida) from the same locality. Underparts are scarcely paler. Scattered long hairs on tail (76% of head-body length) are restricted to basal 1 cm oftail and dark not pale. Body size of the Black Shrew is comparable with the Bornean White-toothed Shrew, but differences in skull dimensions and an extra unicuspid in upper tooth row are distinctive. Fifth tooth is the small unicuspid, characteristic of the genus Suncus . Condylo-basal length is 21-3 mm.

Habitat. Montane forest at an elevation of ¢.1676 m (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. The only known location of the Black Shrew was in Kinabalu Park. Additional studies are needed to understand its distribution, abundance, natural history, and threats.

Bibliography. Allen & Coolidge (1940), Chiozza (2016a), Hutterer (2005b), Medway (1965, 1977), Payne et al. (1985), Phillipps & Phillipps (2016).