# List of myosoricines

Myosoricinae is a subfamily of small mammals in the shrew family Soricidae, which in turn is part of the order Eulipotyphla. A member of this family is called a myosoricine, or an African shrew. Myosoricinae is one of three subfamilies in Soricidae, along with the white-toothed shrews of Crocidurinae and the red-toothed shrews of Soricinae. They are found in central and southern Africa, primarily in forests, and also in shrublands, grasslands, and wetlands. They range in size from the lesser Congo shrew, at 5 cm (2 in) plus a 1 cm (0.4 in) tail, to various members of the Myosorex and Surdisorex genera, at 11 cm (4 in) plus a 7 cm (3 in) tail. Myosoricines primarily eat insects and other invertebrates, as well as small birds and mammals. No myosoricines have population estimates, but 7 species are categorized as endangered species: the Geata mouse shrew, Kihaule's mouse shrew, long-tailed forest shrew, montane mouse shrew, Nyika burrowing shrew, Rumpi mouse shrew, and thin mouse shrew. Additionally, the Phillips' Congo shrew and Eisentraut's mouse shrew are categorized as critically endangered.
The 25 extant species of Myosoricinae are divided into three genera; 19 of them are in Myosorex and 3 each are in Congosorex and Surdisorex. A few extinct prehistoric Myosoricinae species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.

## Conventions

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the myosoricine's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.

## Classification

The subfamily Myosoricinae consists of three genera: Myosorex, containing 19 species, and Congosorex and Surdisorex with three species each.
Subfamily Myosoricinae
* Genus Congosorex (Congo shrews): three species
* Genus Myosorex (mouse shrews): nineteen species
* Genus Surdisorex (African mole shrews): three species

## Myosoricines

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.
Genus Congosorex – Heim de Balsac & Lamotte, 1956 – three species :
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
| Greater Congo shrew | C. polli (Heim de Balsac & Lamotte, 1956) | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Size: About 6 cm (2 in) long, plus 2 cm (1 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Invertebrates | DD  Unknown |
| Lesser Congo shrew | C. verheyeni Hutterer, Barriere, & Colyn, 2002 | West-central Africa | Size: 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Invertebrates | LC  Unknown |
| Phillips' Congo shrew | C. phillipsorum Stanley, Rogers, & Hutterer, 2005 | Tanzania | Size: 6–8 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 3–4 cm (1–2 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Invertebrates | CR  Unknown |
Genus Myosorex – Gray, 1838 – nineteen species :
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
| Babault's mouse shrew | M. babaulti Heim de Balsac & Lamotte, 1956 | Central Africa | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | LC  Unknown |
| Bururi forest shrew | M. bururiensis Kerbis Peterhans et al., 2010 | Burundi | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | VU  Unknown |
| Dark-footed mouse shrew | M. cafer (Sundevall, 1846) | Southern Africa | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | VU  Unknown |
| Eisentraut's mouse shrew | M. eisentrauti Heim de Balsac, 1968 | Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea | Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | CR  Unknown |
| Forest shrew | M. varius (Smuts, 1832) | Southern Africa | Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland Diet: A variety of invertebrates | LC  Unknown |
| Geata mouse shrew | M. geata (Allen & Loveridge, 1927) | Tanzania | Size: 6–8 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 4–5 cm (2–2 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | EN  Unknown |
| Kabogo mouse shrew | M. kabogoensis Kerbis Peterhans & Hutterer, 2013 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | DD  Unknown |
| Kahuzi swamp shrew | M. jejei Kerbis Peterhans et al., 2010 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | NT  Unknown |
| Kihaule's mouse shrew | M. kihaulei Stanley, 2000 | Tanzania | Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | EN  Unknown |
| Kilimanjaro mouse shrew | M. zinki Heim de Balsac & Lamotte, 1956 | Tanzania | Size: 8–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail Habitat: Forest, shrubland, grassland, and inland wetlands Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | LC  Unknown |
| Long-tailed forest shrew | M. longicaudatus Dippenaar & Meester, 1978 Two subspecies M. l. boosmani M. l. longicaudatus | South Africa | Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 4–8 cm (2–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest, inland wetlands, and shrubland Diet: Insects and seeds | EN  Unknown |
| Meester's forest shrew | M. meesteri Taylor, Kearney, Kerbis Peterhans, Baxter, & Willows-Munro, 2013 | Southeastern Africa | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest and grassland Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | LC  Unknown |
| Montane mouse shrew | M. blarina Thomas, 1906 | Uganda | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | EN  Unknown |
| Nyika burrowing shrew | M. gnoskei Kerbis Peterhans, Hutterer, Kaliba, & Mazibuko, 2008 | Malawi | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest and shrubland Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | EN  Unknown |
| Oku mouse shrew | M. okuensis Heim de Balsac, 1968 | Cameroon | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | VU  Unknown |
| Rumpi mouse shrew | M. rumpii Heim de Balsac, 1968 | Cameroon | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | EN  Unknown |
| Schaller's mouse shrew | M. schalleri Heim de Balsac, 1966 | Democratic Republic of Congo | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | DD  Unknown |
| Sclater's mouse shrew | M. sclateri Thomas & Schwann, 1905 | South Africa | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Inland wetlands and forest Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | VU  Unknown |
| Thin mouse shrew | M. tenuis Thomas & Schwann, 1905 | South Africa | Size: 7–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail Habitat: Grassland Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | EN  Unknown |
Genus Surdisorex – Thomas, 1906 – three species :
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
| Aberdare mole shrew | S. norae Thomas, 1906 | Kenya | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Grassland Diet: Earthworms, as well as insects, small birds, and mammals | LC  Unknown |
| Mount Elgon mole shrew | S. schlitteri Kerbis Peterhans, Stanley, Hutterer, Demos, & Agwanda, 2009 | Kenya | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Shrubland Diet: Insects, as well as small birds and mammals | DD  Unknown |
| Mount Kenya mole shrew | S. polulus Hollister, 1916 | Kenya | Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 2–7 cm (1–3 in) tail Habitat: Grassland Diet: Earthworms, as well as insects, small birds, and mammals | DD  Unknown |