430.

Meester’s Mouse Shrew

Myosorex meesteri

French: Musaraigne de Meester / German: MeesterMausspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana ratén de Meester

Other common names: Meester's Forest Shrew

Taxonomy. Myosorex meesteri P. J. Taylor et al., 2013,

Chingamwe Estates, 15 km south- east ofJuliasdale, Inyanga Mountains, eastern Zimbabwe (18-4625° S, 32-753° E).

Mpyosorex meester: is basal to a clade including M. cafer, M. sclateri, M. tenuis, and M. varius . Monotypic.

Distribution. E highlands of Zimbabwe and Mt Gorongosa in C Mozambique.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 75-94 mm 109-139, tail 34-45 mm, ear 8-14 mm, hindfoot 10-15 mm; weight 6-9-20 g. Meester’s Mouse Shrew is a small species of mouse shrew. Dorsum and venter are brownish. Hindfeet are pale. Tail is relatively short (c.50% of head-body length), bicolored, being brownish above and lighter below, and covered in dense hair. There are four unicuspids. The fourth unicuspid is tiny when compared to those of other Myosorex . Dental formula for all members of the genusis13/3,C1/0,P2/1,M 3/3 (x2) = 32.

Habitat. Restricted to moist montane forest at 1120-1580 m, and alpine meadows at 1680-1700 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The [UCN Red List. Meester’s Mouse Shrew was only recently described as a distinct species. It does not appear to be under major threat, as it has a relatively wide distribution, and is found in Gorongosa National Park.

Bibliography. Taylor et al. (2013).