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We report on a small collection of shrews from the central part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Three taxa are recognized, of which a long-tailed and a middle-sized species of Crocidura are described as C. salonga sp. nov. and C. binco sp. nov. Crocidura lwiroensis is recorded for the first time since its description from near Lake Tanganyika in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the habitat association of the diversity and abundance of small mammals in the Ukaguru Mountains within the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania. An estimation of the vegetation parameters and live-trapping of small mammals for three consecutive nights per month for 21 months were carried out in farmland, disturbed and intact forests. A total of 1196 individual small mammals comprising 13 species were captured. Species diversity and evenness in intact forest were much higher compared to disturbed forest. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 87.7% of the variance with two factors. The study suggests vegetation and habitat disturbances are factors responsible for the observed diversity of small mammals in the Ukaguru Mountains. Mastomys natalensis, Mus triton and Praomys delectorum accounted for 90.0% of total captures. M. triton and M. natalensis were the most abundant in farmland with 46.8 and 42.8% of total captures respectively and associated with the herbaceous vegetation. P. delectorum correlated with litter depth and trees and accounted for 90.0 and 80.0% total captures in disturbed and intact forests respectively but the mean abundances in both habitats were not significantly different (p = 0.72). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of shrew species in Israel has been and still is the subject of debate. In this work we used for the first time a molecular marker, the cytochrome b gene, to investigate the number and identity of shrew species in Israel. Our molecular results confirmed the presence of four species: Crocidura leucodon, Crocidura suaveolens gueldenstaedtii, Crocidura ramona, and Suncus etruscus. The C. ramona sequences were found to differ from all other Crocidura species sequenced to date, supporting its status as a distinct species. Whether it is conspecific with Crocidura portali (described in 1920 from Israel and usually synonymized with C. suaveolens), will require additional study. The sequences of Israeli C. suaveolens were found to be very similar to those of Iran, Turkey, and Georgia (i.e., C. suaveolens gueldenstaedtii), in agreement with previous studies. The Israeli C. leucodon sequences, however, formed a distinct clade among C. leucodon. Finally, the S. etruscus sequences clustered with sequences from France, Italy, and Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, Crocidura pachyura is considered to occur in Tunisia and the Mediterranean islands Pantelleria, Sardinia, and Ibiza, and its presence in eastern Algeria is questioned. During recent small mammal surveys in Kabylie (Algeria), 30 new specimens of shrews were collected in three different localities (Cap Djinet, Boukhalfa, and Darna). By sequencing one mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and two nuclear (intron 14 of the Y-linked DBY gene and intron 6 of the X-linked zinc finger protein gene) genes, we confirm the presence of C. pachyura in Algeria from sea level up to 1150 m a.s.l. The sister species of C. pachyura is Crocidura russula, a species widely distributed in western Algeria, Morocco, and Europe. We did not detect any signal of hybridization between these two species in Kabylie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the small mammal community of the periurban Banco National Park (34 km2), Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, using identical numbers of Sherman and Longworth traps. We aimed to determine the diversity and distribution of rodents and shrews in three different habitats: primary forest, secondary forest and swamp. Using 5014 trap-nights, 91 individuals were captured that comprised seven rodent and four shrew species. The trapping success was significantly different for each species, i.e., the Longworth traps captured more soricids (31/36 shrews), whereas the Sherman traps captured more murids (37/55 mice). The most frequent species was Praomys cf. rostratus, followed by Crocidura buettikoferi, Hybomys trivirgatus and Crocidura jouvenetae. Indices of species richness (S) and diversity (H′) were greatest in primary forest, followed by secondary forest and swamp. Several expected species, such as Crocidura obscurior, were not found, whereas we captured four specimens of the critically endangered (IUCN 2012) Wimmer's shrew Crocidura wimmeri, a species that has vanished from its type locality, Adiopodoumé. Therefore, Banco National Park represents an important sanctuary, not only for plants, birds and primates, but also for other small forest vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examined the molecular and chromosomal structure of the moonshine shrew Crocidura luna Dollman 1910, which is endemic in central-southern Africa. Taxonomic identification was made on two female moonshine shrews that were captured using live-trap in Mutanda, Zambia. The mitchondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) fragments, 16S rDNA and the cytochrome b, were sequenced. Results indicated that the high chromosomal differences between the two populations of Crocidura luna is not common within the same species of Crocidura. The study suggested that Crocidura luna is polytypic at a genetic level.