806.

Mindanao Shrew Mouse

Crunomys melanius

French: Crunomys de Mindanao / German: Mindanao-Spitzmausratte / Spanish: Raton musarana de Mindanao

Other common names: Mindanao Shrew Rat, Southern Philippine Shrew Mouse

Taxonomy. Crunomys melanius Thomas, 1907,

“North Central Mindanao [Island,

Philippines]. 3000’ [= 914 m].”

A. S. Achmadi and colleagues in 2013 found C. melanius to be sister to C. suncodes, which was confirmed by the most recent molecular phylogeny of S. J. Steppan and J. J. Schenk in 2017; both species belong to a cladeclose to Maxomys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Leyte, Camiguin, and Mindanao Is, Philippines.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 98-133 mm, tail 68-95 mm, hindfoot 25-29 mm, ear 13-16 mm; weight 58-71 g. The Mindanao Shrew Mouse is small and characterized by dark chestnut, relatively spiny dorsum (few fine and soft spines) and blackish gray venter, with no clear demarcation between back and belly. Blackish brown tail is 65-77% of head-body length, paler below, but not bicolored. Skull is small, short, and narrow, and dental rows are short. Tympanic bullae is not inflated and represents 14-15% of greatest length of the skull. Females have eight pairs of mammae.

Habitat. Lowland, montane, and secondary forests from sea level to elevations of c.1500 m.

Food and Feeding. Stomach contents of Mindanao Shrew Mice contained vegetative material and arthropods.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Mindanao Shrew Mice are terrestrial and probably diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Mindanao Shrew Mouse is difficult to catch, and its population status is unknown. Deforestation and other human activities might be serious threats.

Bibliography. Achmadi et al. (2013), Corbet & Hill (1992), Heaney & Tabaranza (2006a), Heaney, Tabaranza, Rickart et al. (2006), Rickart et al. (1998), Steppan & Schenk (2017).