Sylvisorex johnstoni
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Soricomorpha
Soricidae
Sylvisorex
Sylvisorex johnstoni

description: 205. Johnston's Forest Shrew <i>Sylvisorex johnstoni</i> <b>French:</b> Pachyure de Johnston / <b>German:</b> Johnston-Waldmoschusspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana de bosque de Johnston <b>Other common names:</b> Johnston's Shrew, Johnston's Pygmy Shrew, Pygmy Forest Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Myosorex johnstoni Dobson, 1888, Rio del Rey, Cameroon. There is considerable genetic distance be- tween populations of S. johnston: in southern Gabon and eastern DR Congo, indicating that there might be some cryptic species. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Found in two disjunct regions: one in WC Africa in S Cameroon, SW Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko I), Gabon, and Republic of the Congo, and the other in EC Africa in EC DR Congo, S Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and NW Tanzania. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 45-53 mm, tail 25-36 mm, ear 7-9 mm, hindfoot 8-12 mm; weight 2:3-3.5 g. Johnston's Forest Shrew is very small and represents the smallest species of Sylvisorex along with the Volcano Forest Shrew (S. vulcanorum). Dorsum ofJohnston's Forest Shrew is pale brown, and venter is orange; specimens from Bioko Island have reddish brown dorsum and paler venter. Rostrum is short, and ears are covered with short hairs, being moderate in size. Tail is c.50-60% of head-body length and dark above and below, with short and barely visible hairs. There are four unicuspids. Dental formula for all species of Sylvisorexis 13/2, C 1/0, P 2/1, M 3/3 (x2) = 30. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 30 and FN = 38, which is very small compared with other species of African shrews and shrews in general. <b>Habitat.</b> Disturbed and undisturbed rainforest habitats. Johnston's Forest Shrew is generally associated with primary tropical moist forest. In the western part of its distribution, it is found in lowland forests at elevations of 100-625 m, but in the east,it occurs in montane and mid-elevation forests at 1000-2250 m. It can also be found, less commonly, in marshy forest and riparian forest in Gabon. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> No information. <b>Breeding.</b> At Mount Doudou, Gabon, reproductive activity ofJohnston’s Forest Shrew occurred year-round. <b>Activity patterns.</b> There is no specific information about this species, but Johnston's Forest Shrews are probably terrestrial. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Johnston's Shrew is very abundant throughout its distribution and is one of the most abundant species of shrews in small carnivore scats in Gabon. <b>Bibliography.</b> Goodman &amp; Hutterer (2004), Goodman etal. (2001), Hutterer (1986a), Nicolas (2003), Nicolas et al. (2005), Quérouil et al. (2003), Ray &amp; Hutterer (1996, 20139).
description: Published as part of <i>Russell A. Mittermeier &amp; Don E. Wilson, 2018, Soricidae, pp. 332-551 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 467, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843