Mucrogale longicaudata Thomas 1882

15.

Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec

Mucrogale longicaudata

French: Microgale a longue queue / German: Kleiner Langschwanz-Kleintenrek / Spanish: Tenrec musarana de cola larga menor

Taxonomy. Microgale longicaudata Thom- as, 1882,

“Ankafana forest, Eastern Bet- sileo,” Madagascar. Restricted by R. D. E. MacPhee in 1987 to “Ankafina... 10 km S of Ambohimahasoa and 3 km W of Tsarafidy town, on extreme western margin of eastern rain forest; Fianarantsoa, Fianarantsoa [Province, Madagascar]; 21°12’S,47°13’E.”

Analysis of mtDNA revealed several cryptic taxa within M. longicaudata including

M. major. Subsequent comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that M. longicaudata issister to M. jenkinsae and forms a clade with M. jenkinsae, M. majori, and M. principula. Microgale prolixacaudata was potentially one of the cryptic taxa revealed by the mtDNA analysis but could not be defined at that time, and despite its subsequent recording as a distinct species, it still awaits accurate definition. Microgale longicaudata might contain cryptic species, but taxonomy requires reassessment. Here treated as monotypic.

Distribution. N, Central Highlands, E & SE Madagascar.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 59-80 mm, tail 136-158 mm, ear 10-16 mm, hindfoot 12-18 mm; weight 6-11 g. The Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec is small to mediumsized, with very long, partially prehensile tail; tail is greater than twice head-body length. Dorsal pelage is reddish brown; venteris gray, with reddish buff or buff wash; and tail is gray-brown above, clearly distinguished from reddish buff below. Digits of forefeet and hindfeet are elongated, and fifth hind digit is only slightly shorter than second. Distal portion of tail is naked, with broad transverse scales on dorsal surface.

Habitat. Humid forests (tolerant of some disturbance) at elevations of 530-2500 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec contains species of Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Arachnida, and Amphipoda. In one captive study, insects up to 6 cm long were eaten, and some species of insects were preferred when an individual was offered a choice. Hindfeet and distal portion of long tail were used for grasping branches and stabilization when chasing insects and feeding.

Breeding. One wild-caught lactating Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec had two placental scars in November.

Activity patterns. Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrecs are presumably terrestrial, scansorial, and semi-arboreal based on morphology and do not appear to hibernate. In a short study, one captive individual was nocturnal, spending the day in a nest in the leaf litter c.5 cm in diameter, becoming active at 18:30-19:00 h on the ground and on small branches, and spending rest periods on branches.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec is widely distributed and occurs in several protected areas. Its overall population appears to be decreasing, and major threats are habitat loss and fragmentation due to logging activities, use of fire for land clearing, and conversion to agricultural land.

Bibliography. Everson et al. (2016), Goodman & Jenkins (1998, 2000), Goodman, Jenkins & Pidgeon (1999), Goodman, Soarimalala et al. (2013), Hilgartner (2005), Jenkins (2003), Jenkins et al. (1996), MacPhee (1987), Olson & Goodman (2003), Olson, Goodman & Yoder (2004), Soarimalala & Goodman (2011), Stephenson et al. (2016p).