433.

Thin Mouse Shrew

Myosorex tenuis

French: Musaraigne fine / German: Zierliche Mausspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana ratén de Thin

Taxonomy. Myosorex tenuis Thomas & Schwann, 1905,

“ Zuurbron, Wakkerstroom Highlands [ Transvaal, South Africa]; alt. 1600 m.”

Populations from Limpopo may represent a distinct species, but to date no specimens from the type locality have beensequenced. These Limpopo specimens clustered within or as sister to C. varius, and indicated that C. varius may be a species complex. Monotypic.

Distribution. Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, E South Africa.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 75-92 mm,tail 30-45 mm, ear 7-12 mm, hindfoot 11-17 mm; weight 7-1-20 g. The Thin Mouse Shrew is a medium-sized to relatively large shrew. Dorsum is dark brown; venter is paler, with a silvery wash in some specimens. Ears are smaller and less conspicuous than in Sclater’s Mouse Shrew ( M. sclateri). Feet are dark brown, and are slender with long claws. Tail is medium in length (c.41-59% of head-body length), covered in dense hairs, and bicolored, dark brown above and paler below. Skull is moderately small for the genus. There are four unicuspids. Karyotype is 2n = 40.

Habitat. Recorded from thick grass at the edge of streams, under a tree in a forest, and in vlei habitats up to 1600 m.

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. At present, very little is known of the Thin Mouse Shrew; further studies are needed. The species may be threatened by habitat destruction.

Bibliography. Baxter & Hutterer (2008), Jenkins & Churchfield (2013g), Taylor et al. (2013).