Myosoricinae
Encyclopedia
According to the current taxonomy, Myosoricinae is a subfamily of shrew
s. As such, they form one of three main types of shrew, the other two being the red-toothed shrews and the white-toothed shrews. They are the only one of the three to be found exclusively south of the Sahara Desert, and accordingly they have been described in English as the African shrews, but there are also many white-toothed shrews in Africa and accordingly this term is more generally used for shrews from Africa in general. The subfamily has 3 genera and 20 species:
According to Furió et al.(2007) the group should have the status of tribe, as a relict of the primitive subfamily Crocidosoricinae (Reumer, 1987).
Shrew
A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
s. As such, they form one of three main types of shrew, the other two being the red-toothed shrews and the white-toothed shrews. They are the only one of the three to be found exclusively south of the Sahara Desert, and accordingly they have been described in English as the African shrews, but there are also many white-toothed shrews in Africa and accordingly this term is more generally used for shrews from Africa in general. The subfamily has 3 genera and 20 species:
- Subfamily Myosoricinae
- Genus Congosorex - Congo shrews
- Phillips's Shrew, Congosorex phillipsorum
- Greater Congo ShrewGreater Congo ShrewThe Greater Congo Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic of Democratic Republic of the Congo.-Habitat:Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests of Congo...
, Congosorex polli - Lesser Congo ShrewLesser Congo ShrewThe Lesser Congo Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Congosorex verheyeni
- Genus MyosorexMyosorexMyosorex is a mammal genus in the Soricidae family. The genus contains the following species:*Babault's Mouse Shrew, Myosorex babaulti*Montane Mouse Shrew, Myosorex blarina*Dark-footed Mouse Shrew, Myosorex cafer...
- forest and mouse shrews- Babault's Mouse ShrewBabault's Mouse ShrewThe Babault's Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Kerbis Peterhans, J. & Hutterer, R. 2004. ....
, Myosorex babaulti - Montane Mouse ShrewMontane Mouse ShrewThe Montane Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
, Myosorex blarina - Dark-footed Mouse ShrewDark-footed Mouse ShrewThe Dark-footed Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Baxter, R. 2004. . Downloaded on 30 July...
, Myosorex cafer - Eisentraut's Mouse ShrewEisentraut's Mouse ShrewEisentraut's Mouse Shrew is a Myosoricinae shrew found only on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and a restricted range....
, Myosorex eisentrauti - Geata Mouse ShrewGeata Mouse ShrewThe Geata Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-Source:...
, Myosorex geata - Nyika Mouse Shrew, Myosorex gnoskei
- Kihaule's Mouse ShrewKihaule's Mouse ShrewKihaule's Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and plantations . It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
, Myosorex kihaulei - Long-tailed Forest ShrewLong-tailed Forest ShrewThe Long-tailed Forest Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and swamps.-Source:...
, Myosorex longicaudatus - Oku Mouse ShrewOku Mouse ShrewThe Oku Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
, Myosorex okuensis - Rumpi Mouse ShrewRumpi Mouse ShrewRumpi Mouse Shrew is an Myosoricinae shrew found only on the Rumpi hills, Cameroon. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and a restricted range....
, Myosorex rumpii - Schaller's Mouse ShrewSchaller's Mouse ShrewThe Schaller's Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Myosorex schalleri - Sclater's Mouse ShrewSclater's Mouse ShrewThe Sclater's Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Myosorex sclateri - Thin Mouse ShrewThin Mouse ShrewThe Thin Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in South Africa and possibly Mozambique.-Source:* Baxter, R. & Hutterer, R. 2004. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
, Myosorex tenuis - Forest ShrewForest ShrewThe Forest Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in Lesotho, South Africa, and Swaziland. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, dry savanna, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and temperate grassland.-References:* Baxter, R. 2004. . Downloaded on 30 July...
, Myosorex varius - Kilimanjaro Mouse ShrewKilimanjaro Mouse ShrewThe Kilimanjaro Mouse Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and swamps.-Source:...
, Myosorex zinki
- Babault's Mouse Shrew
- Genus SurdisorexSurdisorexSurdisorex is a genus of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is one of three genera of African shrews, which, in turn, are one of three living subfamilies of shrews. They are called African mole shrews because of their similarity to moles, to which they are not closely related. There are three...
- African mole shrews- Aberdare Mole ShrewAberdare Mole ShrewThe Aberdare Mole Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to the Aberdare Mountains in Kenya. Its natural habitat is tropical high-altitude bamboo and grassland....
, Surdisorex norae - Mt. Kenya Mole ShrewMt. Kenya Mole ShrewThe Mt. Kenya Mole Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Mount Kenya in Kenya. Its natural habitat is tropical high-altitude bamboo and grassland.-Source:...
, Surdisorex polulus
- Aberdare Mole Shrew
- Genus Congosorex - Congo shrews
According to Furió et al.(2007) the group should have the status of tribe, as a relict of the primitive subfamily Crocidosoricinae (Reumer, 1987).