Madagascan pygmy shrew

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Madagascan pygmy shrew
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Soricidae
Genus: Suncus
Species:
S. madagascariensis
Binomial name
Suncus madagascariensis
(Coquerel, 1848)
Madagascan pygmy shrew range
Madagascan pygmy shrew range in Madagascar
Synonyms

Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822)

The Madagascan pygmy shrew (Suncus madagascariensis) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae.[2] It is the only known Malagasy shrew.[1]

Taxonomy

Some taxonomists regard it as conspecific with the widely distributed Etruscan shrew, the smallest known mammal by mass,[1][2] and likely to have been introduced to Madagascar from India or Southeast Asia by humans.[3] It is found in Madagascar and the Comoros, at altitudes from sea level to 1500 m.[1]

Distribution and habitat

It is thought to be more common in the less humid western and southern parts of Madagascar.[1] This shrew may also be present on Socotra.[2] The species is found primarily in forests.

Diet and behaviour

It is presumed to be solitary, nocturnal and insectivorous, like its relatives.[1] The litter size is one or two.[1] It is threatened by logging and other forms of deforestation.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Aulagnier, S.; Hutterer, R.; Jenkins, P.; Bukhnikashvili, A.; Kryštufek, B.; Kock, D. (2017). "Suncus etruscus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017. IUCN: e.T90389138A22288134. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T90389138A22288134.en. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Hutterer, R. (2005). "Order Soricomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ^ Omar, H.; Adamson, E.A.S.; Bhauur, S.; Goodman, S.M.; Soarimalala, V.; Hashim, R.; Ruedi, M. (2011). Phylogenetic relationships of Malayan and Malagasy pygmy shrews of the genus Suncus (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences Archived 12 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 59(2): 237–243.


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