Muicrogale grandidieri, Olson, Rakotomalala, Hildebrandt, Lanier, Raxworthy & Goodman, 2009

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 : 171

26.

Grandidier’s Shrew Tenrec

Muicrogale grandidieri

French: Microgale de Grandidier / German: GrandidierKleintenrek / Spanish: Tenrec musarana de Grandidier

Taxonomy. Microgale grandidieri Olson et al., 2009 ,

“Madagascar: Province de Toli- ara, Sept Lacs, 23°31°29-27S,44°09'33-2"E, 140 m. The specific name of the site is Antafiky.”

Microgale grandidier : forms a clade with M. brevicaudata . There is considerable variation among populations of M. grandidieri from south-western and west-central Madagascar. Monotypic.

Distribution. W & SW Madagascar, from the Namoroka Massif S to Onilahy River.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 60-80 mm, tail 33-43 mm, ear 12-14 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm; weight 8-10 g. Tail of Grandidier’s Shrew Tenrec is ¢.50% of head-body length. Hindfootis relatively short. Dorsal pelage is fine and relatively soft, a mix of dark brown and lighter brown giving an agouti appearance; ventral pelage is finer in texture and uniform medium gray, separated from dorsum by well-demarcated line. Ears are short and covered with fine dark brown or black hairs.

Habitat. Lowland dry and dry spiny forests, selectively logged and disturbed gallery forests, secondary riparian forests, and dense dry deciduous forests on limestone karst (“tsingy”) at elevations of 50-430 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Grandidier’s Shrew Tenrec is seasonally active. Despite surveys extending for more than a year,it was trapped only during warm season along northern bank of Onilahy River, not in cold dry season, suggesting that it becomes torpid for extended periods when food availability is reduced.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Grandidier’s Shrew Tenrec is known from only nine localities, and its population trends are unknown. It occurs in several protected areas and is apparently tolerant of some habitat disturbance. Major threats include forest clearing for agriculture, timber extraction, and charcoal production.

Bibliography. Goodman et al. (2013), Olson et al. (2009), Soarimalala & Goodman (2011), Stephenson et al. (2016u).

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. W & SW Madagascar, from the Namoroka Massif S to Onilahy River.