Crocidura hirta Peters 1852

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Soricomorpha, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 220-311 : 234

Crocidura hirta Peters 1852

Crocidura hirta Peters 1852 , Reise nach Mossambique, Saugethiere: 78.

Type Locality: Mozambique, Tette, 17°S.

Vernacular Names: Lesser Red Musk Shrew.

Synonyms: Crocidura annellata Peters 1852 ; Crocidura beirae Dollman 1915 ; Crocidura bloyeti Dekeyser 1943 ; Crocidura canescens Peters 1852 ; Crocidura deserti Schwann 1906 ; Crocidura flavidula Thomas and Schwann 1905 ; Crocidura langi Cabrera 1925 ; Crocidura luimbalensis Hill and Carter 1937 ; Crocidura velutina Thomas 1904 .

Distribution: Angola, Dem. Rep. Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Gureev (1979) listed beirae and deserti as distinct species; the latter may well be separable. C. bloyeti , formerly listed as a species, is included here because it was based on a juvenile hirta . The Angolan erica may also belong here. The karyotype of hirta (2n = 50, FN = 66) is shared by olivieri , viaria , greenwoodi , and attila ( Schlitter et al., 1999) . For synonyms see Heim de Balsac and Meester (1977).