Jenkins's shrew tenrec

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Jenkins's shrew tenrec
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Afrosoricida
Suborder: Tenrecomorpha
Family: Tenrecidae
Genus: Microgale
Species:
M. jenkinsae
Binomial name
Microgale jenkinsae
Microgale jenkinsae range map.svg
Jenkin's shrew tenrec range

Jenkins's shrew tenrec (Microgale jenkinsae) is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. [1]

Contents

Description

Jenkins's shrew tenrec is extremely small, 143-147mm with the tail being 71-81mm . [2] Its fur is extremely dense, with the top of it being tannish-brown with darker flecks from their agouti gene. On the bottom it is a paler grizzled slate-gray. [2] The tail of this Tenrec is dark brown on the top, and much lighter on the bottom.

Habitat

This tenrec is restricted to the Mikea Forest between Morombe and Manobo River in Southwest Madagascar. It is generally found in forest habitats. The forest of this region grows on sandy soil and in a semi-arid climate with annual precipitation as low as 350 mm. The canopy, which rarely exceeds twelve meters in height, is less tall than that of the inland forests and of those further north. Its habitat exhibits a tropical dry climate with a distinct dry season between May and October. During the wet season, November to April, rainfall may reach 750 millimetres (mm), within a yearly range of 575 mm to 1330 mm. The annual average daily temperature for the region is between 25 °C and 31 °C. [3]

Ecological threats

The Mikea forest is threatened by both intentional burning for expansion of agricultural lands and unintentional wildfires [3] as well as deforestation for commodity lumber. The overexploitation of trees is a major factor to the ecology of the mike forest because many trees here are in high demand in the construction industry. These trees include the Givotia madagascariense, Cedrelopsis grevei, and Commifora arofy. [3] All are endemic to Madagascar and the high demand for them in the construction industry directly threatens the ecology of the Mikea forest.

Conservation

The main threat to Jenkins's shrew tenrec's is habitat loss from wildfires and intentional burning [3] and thus steps must be taken to ensure that the Mikea Forest is not completely lost. It is not currently within a protected area, however, the Mikea Forest is in the process of becoming a protected area. Further research is needed into the population, biology, ecology, range and adaptation to disturbance. [1] Currently research is being conducted to determine possible solutions to minimize deforestation in the region. [4] Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund are concerned with the conservation of the habitat of Jenkins' shrew tenrec because it is also home to a plethora of other species. [5]

Taxonomy

Microgale jenkinsae is placed with the family Tenrecidae. Members of this family "do not have a wide geographic distribution. They are most numerous and diverse on the island of Madagascar, but a few species are also found in western central Africa." [6] Various species in the family are similar to "hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, mice and even otters; and members of the family occupy a diverse collection of habitats, including aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial and fossorial," [6] this is a result of convergent evolution. The family Tenrecidae reached Madagascar 60 million years ago when, "a small mammal, perhaps no more than 5 or 6 g in weight with a primitive body plan and physiology, was washed out to sea from Africa," [7] and rafted over, much like the original lemurs of Madagascar. It is still unknown whether others joined this one, or this one was a pregnant female. Madagascar at the time had few to no other mammals present, except for other small mammals that floated over, to compete with the tenrecs, resulting in an adaptive radiation. This process resulted in speciation from the original tenrec into 34 different species, one of them being Jenkin’s shrew tenrec. [8]

The species is part of the subfamily Oryzorictinae, which consists of tenrecs endemic to Madagascar. Its genus is Microgale. There are 22 living species of Microgale on the island of Madagascar.

The specific epithet jenkinsae honours the British mammalogist Paulina D. Jenkins. [9]

Diet

Tenrecs are often referred to as insectivorous, but a more appropriate term is faunivorous, meaning they eat a diverse variety of animals (and not just insects). [10] Most tenrecs eat terrestrial invertebrates, although several species will opportunistically eat other small vertebrates such as amphibians, reptiles, birds, rodents, and other tenrecs. Some species are known to eat carrion. [10] Despite such similar diets, there have been 14 tenrec species recorded within the same locality and up to 11 shrew tenrecs alone sharing the same habitat. How they partition prey within such an apparently crowded community of small-bodied faunivores remains unknown and has proven to be a challenging question to answer. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afrosoricida</span> Order of mammals

The clade Afrosoricida contains the golden moles of Southern Africa, the otter shrews of equatorial Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar. These three groups of small mammals were for most of the 19th and 20th centuries regarded as a part of the Insectivora or Lipotyphla, but both of those groups, as traditionally used, are polyphyletic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenrec</span> Family of small mammals

A tenrec is any species of mammal within the afrotherian family Tenrecidae, which is endemic to Madagascar. Tenrecs are a very diverse group; as a result of convergent evolution some resemble hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, rats, and mice. They occupy aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial, and fossorial environments. Some of these species, including the greater hedgehog tenrec, can be found in the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. However, the speciation rate in this group has been higher in humid forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Web-footed tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The web-footed tenrec, Malagasy otter shrew, or aquatic tenrec is the only known semiaquatic tenrec, and is found in eastern Madagascar, especially in and around Ranomafana National Park. It grows to between 25 and 39 cm, and was once thought to be extinct. It feeds on crabs, aquatic insects, and crayfish. The population is considered vulnerable. It was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Limnogale, but has been moved to Microgale based on molecular data showing it to be deeply nested within the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-tailed shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The short-tailed shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical dry and moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowan's shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

Cowan's shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobson's shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

Dobson's shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests, plantations, and heavily degraded former forest. On the basis of molecular data indicating that it and Talazac's shrew tenrec form a sister group to the rest of Microgale, these two species were transferred from Microgale to Nesogale in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drouhard's shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

Drouhard's shrew tenrec, also known as the striped shrew tenrec, is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical moist lowland and montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dryad shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The dryad shrew tenrec, also known as the tree shrew tenrec, is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The pale shrew tenrec, also known as the pale-footed shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical moist lowland and montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gracile shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The gracile shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser long-tailed shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The lesser long-tailed shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is active at all hours of the day and night, but each individual maintains its own pattern of rest and activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montane shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The montane shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasolo's shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

Nasolo's shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane and dry forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The pygmy shrew tenrec is a species of placental mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist forests. While it is not endangered, its population is slowly declining as it is threatened by habitat loss. This is of concern, though does not yet merit a higher protection level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater long-tailed shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The greater long-tailed shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrew-toothed shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The shrew-toothed shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talazac's shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

Talazac's shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests. On the basis of molecular data indicating that it and Dobson's shrew tenrec form a sister group to the rest of Microgale, these two species were transferred from Microgale to Nesogale in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas's shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

Thomas's shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern shrew tenrec</span> Species of mammal

The northern shrew tenrec is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it has a restricted disjoint range in two locations 485 km apart in the north and east of the island. In the north, it is found on the southwestern slopes of the Tsaratanana Massif at elevations from 1420 to 1680 m. In central eastern Madagascar, it is found in the Ambatovy Forest. Its natural habitat is montane forest. The species is most closely related to the widely distributed M. cowani. This tenrec is threatened by deforestation from agricultural conversion, lumbering and mining.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stephenson, P.J.; Soarimalala, V.; Goodman, S. (2016). "Microgale jenkinsae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T62015A97192062. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T62015A97192062.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Garbutt, Nick (2007). Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide . Yale University Press. pp.  56. ISBN   9780300125504.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Madagascar succulent woodlands". www.eoearth.org. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  4. ↑ Virah-Sawmy, Anderson, Clark, Malika; Gillson, Lindsey; Gardner, Charlie J.; Anderson, Atholl; Clark, Geoffrey & Haberle, Simon (8 September 2015). "A landscape vulnerability framework for identifying integrated conservation and adaptation pathways to climate change: the case of Madagascar's spiny forest". Landscape Ecology.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "Madagascar spiny thickets | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 Ciszek, Deborah. "Tenrecidae". Animal Diversity Web .
  7. ↑ "Tenrecs in Madagascar | IUCN Afrotheria Specialist Group". www.afrotheria.net. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Finlay, Sive; Cooper, Natalie (30 April 2015). "Morphological diversity in tenrecs (Afrosoricida, Tenrecidae): comparing tenrec skull diversity to their closest relatives". PeerJ. 3: e927. doi: 10.7717/peerj.927 . ISSN   2167-8359. PMC   4419542 . PMID   25945316.
  9. ↑ Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. JHU Press. pp. 211, 311. ISBN   9780801895333.
  10. 1 2 3 Olson, Link E. (15 November 2012). "Tenrecs". Current Biology. 23 (1): R5–R8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.015 . PMID   23305671.
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