Rhynchocyon cirne, Peters, 1847

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Macroscelididae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 206-234 : 227

2.

Chequered Sengi

Rhynchocyon cirne

French: Sengi de Cirne / German: Geflecktes Russelhiindchen / Spanish: Sengi estriado

Other common names: Chequered Elephant-shrew, Chequered Giant Sengi

Taxonomy. Rhynchocyon cirnei Peters, 1847 ,

Quelimane, Bororo District, Zambezia Province, Mozambique.

Five subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

R.c.cirneiPeters,1847—NMozambique.

R.c.hendersoniThomas,1902—NyamkhowaHillnearLivingstonia,NMalawi.

R.c.macrurusGunther,1881—SETanzania.

R.c.reichardiReichenow,1886—SEDRCongo,NEZambia,NMalawi,andTanzania.

R. c. shirensis Corbet & Hanks, 1968 — S Malawi and adjacent Mozambique.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 229-273 mm, tail 196-249 mm, ear 27-31 mm, hindfoot 63-76 mm; weight 320-450 g. There is no evidence of sexual dimorphism in body size. Tail of the Chequered Sengi is ¢.90% of head-body length and is proximally thick and distally tapered; tail is nearly hairless, with white band near tip. Dorsum ranges from buff to dark brown, with orange tones. On each side of mid-dorsal axis, three longitudinal stripes run from mid-back to near base oftail. Left and right lines closest to mid-dorsal axis are nearly continuous, but the more lateral lines are often broken into pale and dark spots. This distinctive pattern of lines and spots on rump and back is diagnostic, if tail is only white near tip (not from base to tip). In some subspecies, darker background of rump and back hair obscures stripes so that only a faint pattern is visible. Venter is off-white to light yellow. Hair on head and snout are brown to cream. Pinnae are hairless, with buff colored skin. Snoutis long and flexible. Females have two posterior, two intermediate, and no anterior nipples; males have no nipples. Four digits are present on each manus and pes; pollex and hallux are absent. Fifth manual digit is relatively short and has only two phalanges. Post-anal gland is well developed, and pectoral gland is absent. Dental formula is I 0-1/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 (x2) = 34-36. Upper canines are relatively large, and males have longer upper canines than females. Presence of diminutive upper incisor is variable. Palatal foramina are absent. Postorbital processes are present. Females have two posterior, two intermediate, and no anterior nipples. Karyotype is unknown.

Habitat. Montane and lowland forests, woodlands, and riparian thickets (closed canopies and dense leaflitter always present) from sea level near coasts of Tanzania and Mozambique up to ¢.2300 m in Udzungwa Mountains (Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania).

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Chequered Sengiis strictly composed of invertebrates, mostly arthropods. Stomachs of specimens from montane forests in north-eastern Zambia contained beetles, bees or wasps, fly larvae, and other insects.

Breeding. Chequered Sengis are probably monogamous; breeding probably occurs year-round. Litters have 1-2 young, rarely three.

Activity patterns. Chequered Sengis are fully terrestrial and exclusively diurnal. Forest floor nests are built from leaflitter. Each member of a male-female pair probably spends most ofits time independently.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species, but the Chequered Sengi is probably similar to the Golden-rumped Sengi ( R. chrysopygus ).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Chequered Sengi is decreasing.

Bibliography. Allen & Loveridge (1933), Ansell & Ansell (1973), Carlen et al. (2017), Corbet & Hanks (1968), Evans (1942), Hoffmann (2017), Kingdon (1974a), Lawrence & Loveridge (1953), Olbricht & Stanley (2009), Rathbun (2009, 2013e), Rovero et al. (2008).

Figures

1. Golden-rumped Seng (Rhynchocyon chrysopygus), 2. Chequered Sengi (Rhynchocyon cirne), 3. White-tailed Sengi (Rhynchocyon stuhlmanni), 4. Black-and-rufous Sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi), 5. Gray-faced Sengi (Rhynchocyon udzungwensis), 6. Namib Round-eared Sengi (Macroscelides flavicaudatus), 7. Karoo Round-eared Sengi (Macroscelides proboscideus), 8. Etendeka Round-eared Sengi (Macroscelides micus), 9. Four-toed Sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus), 10. North African Sengi (Petrosaltator rozeti), 11. Rufous Sengi (Elephantulus rufescens), 12. Somali Sengi (Elephantulus revoulii), 13. Dusky-footed Sengi (Elephantulus fuscipes), 14. Short-snouted Sengi (Elephantulus brachyrhynchus), 15. Dusky Sengi (Elephantulus fuscus), 16. Bushveld Sengi (Elephantulus intufi), 17. Western Rock Sengi (Elephantulus rupestris), 18. Eastern Rock Sengi (Elephantulus mywrus), 19. Cape Rock Sengi (Elephantulus edwardii), 20. Karoo Rock Sengi (Elephantulus pilicaudus)

Subspecies and Distribution. R.c.cirneiPeters,1847—NMozambique. R.c.hendersoniThomas,1902—NyamkhowaHillnearLivingstonia,NMalawi. R.c.macrurusGunther,1881—SETanzania. R.c.reichardiReichenow,1886—SEDRCongo,NEZambia,NMalawi,andTanzania. R. c. shirensis Corbet & Hanks, 1968 — S Malawi and adjacent Mozambique.