Crocidura rhoditis, G. S. Miller & Hollister, 1921

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 : 498-499

291.

Temboan White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura rhoditis

French: Crocidure rosée / German: Temboan-Weifizahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Temboan

Other common names: Sulawesi White-handed Shrew, Temboan Shrew

Taxonomy. Crocidura rhoditis G. S. Miller & Hollister, 1921 ,

Temboan , north-eastern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

O. Koller in 1929 considered rhoditis syn- onymous with orientalis , but G. B. Corbet and J. E. Hill in 1992 and R. Hutterer in 2005 among others recognized rhoditis as a full species of Crocidura . Several molecular biological studies supported this rank and showed that rhoditis is part of a clade of “Old Sulawesian” shrew taxa that also

includes C. elongata , C. lea , C. levicula , and C. musseri . G. G. Musser in 1987 identified a subfossil part of a leftjaw of a shrew found during an archaeological expedition at Batu Edjaja as C. rhoditis . Monotypic.

Distribution. N, C & SW Sulawesi.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 84-88 mm, tail 69-74 mm, hindfoot 16-1-16-8 mm; weight 11:6-13-2 g. The Temboan White-toothed Shrew is one of the larger species of shrews in Sulawesi. Dorsal pelage is dark grayish or reddish brown. Fur is dense and soft, except around nose. Ventral pelage is lighter, mixed with pale cinnamon brown. Tail is dark brown, with white tip, and it is covered with very small hairs. There are some long light-colored bristle hairs on basal one-halfof tail. Forefeet and hindfeet are whitish to pinkish; uppersides are lighter than footpads. Skull is larger than that of the Black-footed White-toothed Shrew ( C. nigripes ), and rostrum is relatively heavy. Profile of skull is flat and not as spherical as that of the Mossy Forest White-toothed Shrew (C. mussert). Posterior part of palate is broader, and interorbital narrowing in the Temboan White-toothed Shrew is farther back than in other species. Greatest skull lengths are 22-7-23-6 mm. Third upper unicuspid is bigger than second. Karyotype is 2n = 30.

Habitat. Tropical, mostly humid and mossy primary forests in lowlands and mountains at elevations of 200-3000 m. Records suggest that the Temboan White-toothed Shrew can adapt to secondary forests. Ability to adapt to human structures outside forests is unknown.

Food and Feeding. The Temboan White-toothed Shrew eats invertebrates, but detailed data are not available.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Based on field observations and captures, the Temboan Whitetoothed Shrew is mainly nocturnal, but two individuals were captured during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Temboan White-toothed Shrew is widespread and likely occurs in protected areas. Its population is presumably large and relatively stable. It does not appear to be subject to any major adverse effects at present. In lowlands, deforestation, conversion to agricultural land, and man-made fires could pose threats if it cannot adapt to resulting habitats.

Bibliography. Cassola (2016ad), Corbet & Hill (1992), Dubey, Salamin et al. (2008), Esselstyn & Brown (2009), Hutterer (2005b), Koller (1929), Miller & Hollister (1921), Motokawa et al. (2005), Mulvaney & Soejono (1970), Musser (1987), Ruedi (1995, 1996), Ruedi & Vogel (1995), Ruedi et al. (1998), Stone (1995b).

Figures

266. Phu Quoc White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura phuquocensis), 267. Taiwanese Gray White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura lanakae), 268. Phan Luong White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura phanluong), 269. Sokolov White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura sokolouvi), 270. Cranbrook’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura cranbrooki), 271. Hill's White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura hilliana), 272. Voracious White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura vorax), 273. Sa Pa White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura sapaensis), 274. Annamite White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura annamitensis), 275. Vietnamese White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura guy), 276. Ke Go White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura kegoensis), 277. Andaman Spiny White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura hispida), 278. Andaman White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis), 279. Jenkins’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura jenkinsi), 280. Nicobar White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura nicobarica), 281. Christmas Island White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura trichura), 282. Siberian White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura sibirica), 283. Shantung White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura shantungensts), 284. Guldenstadt’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura gueldenstaedtii), 285. Lesser White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura suaveolens), 286. Cyrenaica White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura aleksandrisi), 287. Zarudny’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura zarudnyi), 288. Greater Ryukyu White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura orii), 289. Batak White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura batakorum), 290. Mossy Forest White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura musseri), 291. Temboan White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura rhoditis), 292. Lesser Black-footed White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura lea), 293. Sulawesi Tiny White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura levicula), 294. Elongated White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura elongata), 295. North African White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura pachyura), 296. Greater White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula), 297. Serezkaya White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura serezkyensis), 298. Whitaker's White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura whitakeri), 299. Flower’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura floweri), 300. Egyptian Pygmy White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura religiosa), 301. Bicolored White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura leucodon), 302. Saharan White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura tarfayensis), 303. Arabian White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura arabica), 304. Dhofar White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura dhofarensis)

Distribution. N, C & SW Sulawesi.