Microgale thomasi, Major, 1896

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Tenrecidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 134-172 : 170-171

25.

Thomas’s Shrew Tenrec

Microgale thomasi

French: Microgale de Thomas / German: Thomas-Kleintenrek / Spanish: Tenrec musarana de Thomas

Taxonomy. Microgale thomas: Major, 1896 ,

“Ampitambe forest (N.E. Betsileo)”, Madagascar. Restricted by R. D. E. MacPhee in 1987 to “village of Ampitambe (600 m) SE of Fandriana ... located deep within eastern rain forest; Fianarantsoa, Mananjary [Madagascar]; 20°44’S, 47°38’E.” Clarified by M. D. Carleton and D. F. Schmidt in 1990 to “ca. 20°22’S/47°46’E.” Further clarified by P. D. Jenkins and Carleton in 2005 to “ca 20°24’S, 47°48’E”.

Microgale thomasis sister to a clade of M. cowani and M. jobihely . Monotypic.

Distribution. Northern (Tsaratanana and Marojejy) and Central highlands, and CE to SE Madagascar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 75-112 mm, tail 59-80 mm, ear 15-21 mm, hindfoot 17-23 mm; weight 20-26 g. Tail of Thomas’s Shrew Tenrec is ¢.90% of head-body length. Dorsum is speckled dark rufous brown; venteris distinctly paler, gray with reddish buff wash. Tail is dark brown dorsally and distinctly paler ventrally, with long dense scale hairs. Middle three digits on forefeet have long claws.

Habitat. Humid forests at elevations of

800-2000 m but recently documented at higher and lower elevations.

Food and Feeding. Thomas's Shrew Tenrecs will eat smaller species of Microgale in pitfall traps.

Breeding. Two wild-caught Thomas’s Shrew Tenrecs had two embryos, one of which was ajuvenile female with deciduous dentition.

Activity patterns. Thomas’s Shrew Tenrecs are terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Thomas's Shrew Tenrec is widely distributed and occurs in some protected areas. Its overall population is presumably large but probably decreasing. Major threats are habitat loss and fragmentation due to logging activities, use of fire for forest clearing, and conversion to agricultural land.

Bibliography. Carleton & Schmidt (1990), Everson et al. (2016), Goodman & Jenkins (2000), Goodman, Jenkins & Pidgeon (1999), Goodman, Soarimalala et al. (2013), Jenkins (2003), Jenkins & Carleton (2005), MacPhee (1987), Olson & Goodman (2003), Soarimalala & Goodman (2003, 2011), Stephenson et al. (2016x).

Figures

1. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi), 2. Greater Hedgehog Tenrec (Setifer setosus), 3. Tailless Tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus), 4. Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemacenteles semispinosus), 5. Highland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps), 6. Large-eared Tenrec (Geogale aurita), 7. Mole-like Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes hova), 8. Four-toed Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes tetradactylus), 9. Dobson’s Shrew Tenrec (Nesogale dobsoni), 10. Talazac’s Shrew Tenrec (Nesogale talazact), 11. Montane Shrew Tenrec (Macrogale monticola), 12. Dryad Shrew Tenrec (Microgale dryas), 13. Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale brevicaudata), 14. Pygmy Shrew Tenrec (Microgale parvula), 15. Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Mucrogale longicaudata), 16. Drouhard’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale drouhardi), 17. Taiva Shrew Tenrec (Microgale taiva), 18. Pale Shrew (Tenrec Mucrogalefotsifotsy), 19. Greater Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale principula), 20. Cowan's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale cowant), 21. Naked-nosed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gymnorhyncha), 22. Shrew-toothed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale soricoides), 23. Major's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale major), 24. Gracile Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gracilis), 25. Thomas’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale thomasi), 26. Grandidier’s Shrew Tenrec (Muicrogale grandidieri), 27. Web-footed Tenrec (Microgale mergulus), 28. Least Shrew Tenrec (Muicrogale pusilla), 29. Dark Shrew (Tenrec Microgalejobihely), 30. Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale nasoloi), 31. Jenkins’s Shrew (Tenrec Microgalejenkinsae)

Distribution. Northern (Tsaratanana and Marojejy) and Central highlands, and CE to SE Madagascar.