Crocidura latona Hollister 1916
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Soricomorpha
Soricidae
Crocidura
Crocidura latona

description: 418. Latona’s White-toothed Shrew <i>Crocidura latona</i> <b>French:</b> Crocidure |éto / <b>German:</b> Latona-WeiRzahnspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana de Latona <b>Other common names:</b> Latona Shrew, Latona’s Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Crocidura latona Hollister, 1916, Medje, DR Congo. A. Brosset and colleagues in 1965 suggested that C. ludia might be a synonym of C. latona, but this is unlikely due to differences in skull and tail morphology. N. J. Dippenaar in 1980 defined the “C. monax-dolichura group” with species having low pilosity on tails, restricted to basal section. He listed species of the C. monax-C. littoralis-C. maurisca group, together with C. roosevelti, C. crenata, C. dolichura, C. latona, and others. This relationship was not confirmed following recent phylogenetic studies. In a phylogenetic tree estimated from Bayesian analysis of cytochrome-b sequences, C. latona is basal in a cluster of C. latona, C. littoralis, C. oritis/ C. stenocephala. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Restricted to E DR Congo. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 65-76 mm, tail 59 mm, ear 9 mm, hindfoot 14 mm; weight 6:6 g (mean of five specimens). Condylo-incisive length is 19-8 mm. Latona’s White-toothed Shrew is small to medium-sized and resembles Niobe’s White-toothed Shrew (C. niobe) but is distinguished by uniform dark brown color on upper and lower parts. Dorsal pelage is rich dark brown, and underparts are slightly paler brown than on back and sides. Lateral glands are russet. Forefeet and hindfeet are buffy brown and very thinly haired with brown. Tail is ¢.85% of headbody length, blackish brown, and very slightly lighter at base below. Pilosity is ¢.20%. Skull and teeth of Latona’s White-toothed Shrew are similar to the Gracile Whitetoothed Shrew (C. maurisca) and the Naked-tailed White-toothed Shrew (C. lttoralis) but decidedly smaller. Latona’s White-toothed Shrew might be related to the paler Jackson’s White-toothed Shrew (C. jacksoni), which is similar in size and also possesses fovea on M,. Unicuspids are rather narrow, with small cusps and large cingula; second and third unicuspids relatively wide and inclined to be circular. Last upper premolar is longer than wide. Fovea is present on talonid of M,. <b>Habitat.</b> Mainly primary forests but also secondary forests and fallow land in lowlands up elevations of ¢.500 m. Some islands in Congo River are flooded by tides, so the Mbiye Island population of Latona’s White-toothed Shrew might be transitory. In surroundings of Kisangani, it has been captured in five forest blocks of primary forest, secondary forest, and old fallow land. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Latona’s White-toothed Shrew is ground dwelling and eats a wide variety of invertebrates, primarily arthropods. Stomach analyses found that major prey were species of Formicidae and Diptera (each 17%), Isoptera, Coleoptera, Acrididae, Araneae, and Diplopoda (each 10-12%). Body lengths of invertebrate prey were 3-30 mm, with 80% less than 10 mm. <b>Breeding.</b> No information. <b>Activity patterns.</b> No information. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> L.atona’s White-toothed Shrew appears to have small, highly localized populations and is rarely found in trapped samples. It comprised 7% of shrews (five of 72; 9 species) during three years of trapping in Masako Forest, DR Congo. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Latona’s White-toothed Shrew has a wide distribution and presumably large overall population and is tolerant of some habitat modification. It is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a threatened category. There appear to be no major threats to Latona’s White-toothed Shrew. It occurs in Masako Forest, a reserve that includes primary forest, logged and regrown areas, and cultivated areas. <b>Bibliography.</b> Brosset et al. (1965b), Churchfield et al. (2013c), Dippenaar (1980a), Dudu et al. (2005), Gambalemoke, Mukinzi, Amundala, Gembu et al. (2008), Gambalemoke, Mukinzi, Amundala, Katuala et al. (2008), Heim de Balsac &amp; Meester (1977), Hollister (1916), Hutterer (2005b, 2016k), Katuala et al. (2005), Stanley et al. (2015).
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 pages 540-541, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843