Congosorex verheyeni, Hutterer, Barriere & Colyn, 2001

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Soricidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 332-551 : 546

429.

Lesser Congo Shrew

Congosorex verheyeni

French: Musaraigne de Verheyen / German: Kleine Kongo-Spitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana del Congo menor

Taxonomy. Congosorex verheyeni Hutterer, Barriere & Colyn, 2001 ,

Mbomo (00° 24’ N, 14° 44’E), Parc National d’Odzala , Republic of the Congo.

Congosorex seems to be imbedded within Myosorex , indicating that a revision of the entire subfamily Myosoricinae is needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known from three localities in Odzala National Park, N Republic of the Congo and four localities in Ngotto Forest, SW Central African Republic.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 53-95 mm, tail 19-26 mm, ear 4-8 mm, hindfoot 9-11 mm; weight 4-12 g. The Lesser Congo Shrew is a small to medium-sized shrew with a large head, minute eyes, and very short ears. Dorsum and venter are dark brown. Nose and lips are flesh-colored. Feet are short with moderately welldeveloped digits and claws, and are covered in large scales dorsally. Tail is short (c.32% of head-body length), covered in hair throughout, and pale-colored. Skull has a short rostrum compared to other shrews and the braincase is wide. Females have four inguinal nipples. Males have a pointed phallus. There are three unicuspids.

Habitat. Primary and secondary lowland rainforest. One specimen was collected in savanna adjacent to newly regenerated forest patches.

Food and Feeding. The Lesser Congo Shrew may feed on subterranean invertebrates.

Breeding. A pregnant female collected in the wet season had two embryos.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Lesser Congo Shrew is rather rare throughoutits range, and may be threatened by habitat destruction, although it has been found in degraded areas.

Bibliography. Barriere & Hutterer (2013), Hutterer (2017), Hutterer et al. (2001), Stanley, Rogers & Hutterer (2005b), Willows-Munro & Matthee (2009).

Figures

424. Aberdare Mole Shrew (Surdisorex norae), 425. Mount Kenya Mole Shrew (Surdisorex polulus), 426. Schlitter’s Mole Shrew (Surdisorex schlitteri), 427. Phillips's Congo Shrew (Congosorex phillipsorum), 428. Greater Congo Shrew (Congosorex polli), 429. Lesser Congo Shrew (Congosorex verheyeni), 430. Meester’s Mouse Shrew (Myosorex meester), 431. Dark-footed Mouse Shrew (Myosorex cafer), 432. Sclater’s Mouse Shrew (Myosorex sclateri), 433. Thin Mouse Shrew (Mpyosorex tenuis), 434. South African Mouse Shrew (Myosorex varius), 435. Long-tailed Mouse Shrew (Myosorex longicaudatus), 436. Kilimanjaro Mouse Shrew (Myosorex zinki), 437. Geata Mouse Shrew (Myosorex geata), 438. Kihaule’s Mouse Shrew (Myosorex kihaulei), 439. Nyika Mouse Shrew (Myosorex gnoskei), 440. Schaller’s Mouse Shrew (Myosorex schalleri), 441. Kabogo Mouse Shrew (Myosorex kabogoensis), 442. Babault’ ' s Mouse Shrew (Mpyosorex babaultu), 443. Montane Mouse Shrew (Myosorex blarina), 444. Bururt Mouse Shrew (Myosorex bururiensis), 445. Kahuzi Mouse Shrew (Myosorex jejer), 446. Eisentraut’s Mouse Shrew (Myosorex eisentrauti), 447. Rumpi Mouse Shrew (Myosorex rumpii), 448. Oku Mouse Shrew (Myosorex okuensis)

Distribution. Known from three localities in Odzala National Park, N Republic of the Congo and four localities in Ngotto Forest, SW Central African Republic.