219.

Leonardo Shrew Mouse

Soricomys leonardocoi

French: Rat de Leonardo / German: Leonardo-Spitzkopfmaus / Spanish: Raton musarana de Leonardo

Other common names: Co's Shrew Mouse, Mingan Shrew Mouse

Taxonomy. Soricomys leonardocoi Balete et al., 2012,

Mt. Mingan Peak, Aurora Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.

Soricomys leonardocoi is a very recently described species that has been the object of a morphometric and molecular analysis. It is the basal taxon of the genus Soricomys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Mingan Mts, EC Luzon I, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 98-115 mm, tall 82-95 mm, ear 13-15 mm, hindfoot 19-24 mm; weight 26-36 g. The Leonardo Shrew Mouse is a small species of shrew mouse with a long, slender snout and small eyes. Dorsal pelage is chestnut brown with medium gray lips and rhinarium. Ventral pelage is shorter and a slightly paler orange brown. Eyelids are edged in black and surrounded by a palereddish brown ring of short fur. Ears are small, rounded, and dark gray; vibrissae are moderately long and extend beyond the ears, being darkgray with pale tips. Tail is short (75-92% of head-body length) and is a dark grayish brown. Hindfeet are slender with long digits and long claws that are opaque in color, being medium grayish brown dorsally and darker ventrally. Pollex is reduced to a small stump with a nail rather than a claw. Forefeet are pale grayish dorsally and ventrally. Skull has a wider interorbital region, wider zygomatic plate, longer incisive foramina, shorter diastema, longer postpalatal region, longer maxillary molar row, broader first upper molars, and a narrower incisor breadth at their tips than in other species of Soricomys . Females bear two pairs of inguinal mammae.

Habitat. Montane and mossy forest at elevations of 1476-1785 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet is composed of earthworms and other invertebrates. Specimens were captured using earthworm and coconut bait.

Breeding. Four females with large mammae were captured in June and scrotal males were captured in May (a single specimen) and June (six specimens).

Activity patterns. Leonardo Shrew Mice are terrestrial, and are active during day and night.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Leonardo Shrew Mouse has a relatively wide distribution and is found in secondary,slightly disturbed habitats, being relatively unaffected in these region.

Bibliography. Balete, Alviola et al. (2011), Balete, Rickart et al. (2012), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Kennerley (2017c).