Crocidura paradoxura Dobson 1886
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Soricomorpha
Soricidae
Crocidura
Crocidura paradoxura

description: 253. Sumatran Long-tailed White-toothed Shrew <i>Crocidura paradoxura</i> <b>French:</b> Crocidure paradoxale / <b>German:</b> Sumatra-Langschwanz-Weilizahnspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana de Sumatra <b>Other common names:</b> Paradox Shrew, Sumatran Long-tailed Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Crocidura paradoxura Dobson, 1887, “ Sumatra (Mount Singalan [= Singgalang] at an elevations of 2000 metres),” Indonesia. Long known only from the holotype, but in 1995 M. Ruedi reported on two specimens from Sumatra. Previously, another long-tailed shrew, C. cf. paradoxura of Mount Gede-Pangrango (Java), was assigned to this species; in 2014, J. A. Esselstyn and others described this form as the new species C. abscondita. Molecular analyses by T. C. Demos and colleagues in 2016 showed a division of paradoxura into two different clades, possibly representing two separate species; further studies are needed to clarify the status of these clades. C. paradoxura is part of a species complex that also includes beccarii, hutanis, lepidura, and vosmaeri from Sumatra, and brunnea and orientalis from Java. Ruedi in 1995 and R. Hutterer in 2005 listed the form aequicauda as a synonym. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Mountain ranges of N and W Sumatra. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 66-77 mm,tail 80-105 mm, ear 10-10-5 mm, hindfoot 15-5—16 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Fur of the Sumatran Longtailed White-toothed Shrew is dense and soft, and the hairs are long (7-8 mm). Dorsal hair is slate to bluish gray at the base and shiny brownish on the tip. At the extremities the pelage color changes more toward ash gray. Ventral pelage is almost completely gray. Forefeet and hindfeet almost naked with cream-colored to pinkish skin. Feet are elongated, and the tail is very long (tail of the holotype 160% of head-body length, but shorter for other specimens), which allows climbing ability. Tail with short brown hair; the long tail hairs typical of the genus are missing. Ears with short, barely visible hair. Skull without neck and sagittal ridges; in profile, the highest point is at the beginning of the braincase. The first incisor is only about half the size of the first incisor of the similarly sized Hutan White-toothed Shrew (C. hutanis). In general, the dentition is also weaker than in the Hutan White-toothed Shrew. Mandible is very slender. Greatest length of skull ¢.21-7 mm. <b>Habitat.</b> Humid mossy montane forest at elevations of 1000-2400 m. It is not clear whether the Sumatran Long-tailed White-toothed Shrew is capable of adapting to anthropogenic environments. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> No information. <b>Breeding.</b> No information. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The long tail and the elongated feet are indications of a scansorial lifestyle. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Sumatran Long-tailed White-toothed Shrew is linked to forest habitats and, accordingly, deforestation is a threat, most importantly for agriculture and timber extraction, and with the spread of human settlements; the shrew population is decreasing. However, the species is widespread and can be found in high mountain forests where deforestation is not such a major problem. Within its range are some large protected areas, which should be significant for the conservation of the species. <b>Bibliography.</b> Cassola (2016ab), Corbet &amp; Hill (1992), Demos et al. (2016), Dobson (1887), Esselstyn et al. (2014), Hutterer (1985, 2005b), Jentink (1888), Robinson &amp; Kloss (1918), Ruedi (1995, 1996).
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 484, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843