Crocidura goliath Thomas 1906
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Soricomorpha
Soricidae
Crocidura
Crocidura goliath

description: 394. Goliath White-toothed Shrew <i>Crocidura goliath</i> <b>French:</b> Crocidure géante / <b>German:</b> Goliath-Riesenweil3zahnspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana goliat <b>Other common names:</b> Goliath Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Crocidura goliath Thomas, 1906, Efulen, Cameroon. Crocidura goliath previously included C. nimbasilvanus as a subspecies, but genetic and morphological data support their recognition as distinct species. Crocidura goliath is sister to a clade including C. olivieri, C. viaria, and C. fulvastra in the C. olivieri group. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> S Cameroon, SW Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea (Mbini), Gabon, N Republic of the Congo, and NW DR Congo. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head—body 155-175 mm, tail 100-132 mm, ear 15-17 mm, hindfoot 23-27 mm; weight 51-76 g. The Goliath White-toothed Shrew is extremely large and the largest species of shrews native to Africa and nearly the world, only rivaled by the heavier Asian House Shrew (Suncus murinus, males can weigh more than 100 g). Dorsal pelage is dark rufous to chestnut-brown (hairs are gray on basal one-half and rufous on terminal one-half); some individuals have long thick dark rufous hairs on back from shoulders to rump. Ventral pelage is grayish rufous or grayish (hairs are gray basally, with gray or grayish rufous tips). Lateral glands are large and very obvious on flanks, where patches of bare skin are present. Ears, chin, throat, and chest are rufous brown. Ears are relatively small, and feet are dark rufous brown with whitish claws. Tail is ¢.68% of head-body length, hairy, and rufous brown. Skull is large and heavily built. I! is long and hooked, third upper molaris narrow, and molars are semi-squarish. Dorsal surface of braincase of older individuals can be sculptured with inconspicuous irregular bony ripples, which is similar to the Armored Hero Shrew (Scutisorex somereni). There are three unicuspids. Karyotype is 2n = 50. <b>Habitat.</b> Primary rainforests, marshes, mixed rainforests, riparian forests, and marshy forests. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> No information. <b>Breeding.</b> Embryo counts in female Goliath White-toothed Shrews averaged three in Gabon. <b>Activity patterns.</b> No information. <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 Goliath White-toothed Shrew has a relatively wide distribution and is found in several protected areas. It currently faces no major threats, and it is considered common but not extremely abundant. <b>Bibliography.</b> Brosset (1988), Cassola (2016aw), Goodman &amp; Hutterer (2004), Goodman et al. (2001), Heim de Balsac (1959), Jacquet, Denys et al. (2015), Jacquet, Hutterer et al. (2013), Lasso et al. (1996), Vogel et al. (2013).
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 533, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843