Crocidura ludia 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 ludia

description: 408. Dramatic White-toothed Shrew <i>Crocidura ludia</i> <b>French:</b> Crocidure belluaire / <b>German:</b> Drama-WeiRzahnspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana cuidadora <b>Other common names:</b> Ludia’s Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Crocidura ludia Hollister, 1916, Medje, DR Congo. Crocidura ludia was included in C. dolichura by Heim de Balsac &amp; Meester in 1977. It was reinstated as a distinct species by Hutterer &amp; Dippenaar in 1987. Crocidura ludia might represent more than one species. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> DR Congo (Masako Forest near Kisangani, Medje, Tandala, Baliko, Bomane, Djabir, and Yoko Forest S of Kisangani) and Central African Republic (Ngoto Forest and the Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve); it is possibly present in the Republic of the Congo and SE Cameroon. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 63-69 mm,tail 53-60 mm, ear 9 mm, hindfoot 12-14 mm (measurements from holotype and topotype); weight 6-5 g (from two specimens). Condylo-incisive length is 18:2 mm. The Dramatic White-toothed Shrew is small. Dorsal pelage is uniformly brown, with gray-based hairs and brown tips. Ventral pelage is brown, and there is no distinct demarcation on sides. Forefeet and hindfeet are buffy and thinly haired, with brown streak along outside. Tail is 84-87% of head-body length, blackish brown above, and lighter on basal one-third below; it appears naked but is covered with short dark bristles. Longer bristles are restricted to basal 20-30% oftail. The Dramatic White-toothed Shrew is similar to the Long-tailed White-toothed Shrew (C. dolichura), but it can be distinguished by its brown color and shorter tail. Skull is small, gracile, and similar to the Long-tailed White-toothed Shrew in general configuration. Braincase is rounded, rostrum is slender, skull tapers from interorbital region to its tip, and braincase is strongly inflated in lateral view. Dentition is weak, I' is short and small, and M”is large. <b>Habitat.</b> Restricted to lowland rainforests. The Dramatic White-toothed Shrew inhabits gallery forest patches in savanna. Preferred habitat is not continuous throughout its distribution. In Masako Forest, it is found only in secondary forests (not in primary forests, along creeks, or in fallow land). In Central African Republic, it is found in gallery forests and moist savanna habitats. In the Congo River Basin (vicinity of Kisangani), the Dramatic White-toothed Shrew occurred only in primary forests at five of eight sites studied. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Stomach contents of the Dramatic White-toothed Shrews contained species of Coleoptera, Formicidae, Lepidoptera (larvae), Blattodea, Diplopoda, and Araneae and seeds. <b>Breeding.</b> No information. <b>Activity patterns.</b> No information. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> The Dramatic White-toothed Shrew is rarely collected. In Masako Forest, it comprised ¢.3% of shrews captured, but in Central African Republic, it was surprisingly the dominant species (71%) of shrews captured. It is occasionally recorded (1-3% of 311 shrews; 16 species) in scats of carnivores in the Central African Republic. Three similar species of shrews can be sympatric with the Dramatic White-toothed Shrew: Polia’s White-toothed Shrew (C. polia), the Long-tailed White-toothed Shrew (C. dolichura), and Latona’s White-toothed Shrew (C. latona). <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Dramatic White-toothed Shrew is more widespread than previously thought. General habitat loss and fragmentation are threatening northern populations in the Central African Republic. It has been recorded in one protected area in Central African Republic and in Masako Forest protected area of the DR Congo. <b>Bibliography.</b> Barriére et al. (2005), Cassola (2016ay), Dudu et al. (2005), Gambalemoke, Mukinzi, Amundala, Gembu et al. (2008), Gambalemoke, Mukinzi, Amundala, Katuala et al. (2008), Hutterer (2005b, 2013m), Hutterer &amp; Dippenaar (1987a), Mukinzi et al. (2005), Nicoll &amp; Rathbun (1990), Quérouil et al. (2005), Ray &amp; Hutterer (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 537, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843