Tenrecidae Author Russell A. Mittermeier Author Don E. Wilson text 2018 2018-07-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos 134 172 book chapter 10.5281/zenodo.6808230 e219b7cf-baff-4e8f-8253-d785c8f4e1ab 978-84-16728-08-4 6808230 25. Thomas’s Shrew Tenrec Microgale thomasi French: Microgale de Thomas / German: Thomas-Kleintenrek / Spanish: Tenrec musarana de Thomas Taxonomy. Microgale thomas: Major, 1896 , “Ampitambe forest (N.E. Betsileo)”, Madagascar. Restricted by R. D. E. MacPhee in 1987 to “village of Ampitambe (600 m) SE of Fandriana ... located deep within eastern rain forest; Fianarantsoa, Mananjary [Madagascar]; 20°44’S, 47°38’E.” Clarified by M. D. Carleton and D. F. Schmidt in 1990 to “ca. 20°22’S/47°46’E.” Further clarified by P. D. Jenkins and Carleton in 2005 to “ca 20°24’S, 47°48’E”. Microgale thomasis sister to a clade of M. cowani and M. jobihely . Monotypic. Distribution. Northern (Tsaratanana and Marojejy) and Central highlands, and CE to SE Madagascar. Descriptive notes. Head-body 75-112 mm, tail 59-80 mm, ear 15-21 mm, hindfoot 17-23 mm; weight 20-26 g. Tail of Thomas’s Shrew Tenrec is ¢.90% of head-body length. Dorsum is speckled dark rufous brown; venteris distinctly paler, gray with reddish buff wash. Tail is dark brown dorsally and distinctly paler ventrally, with long dense scale hairs. Middle three digits on forefeet have long claws. Habitat. Humid forests at elevations of 800-2000 m but recently documented at higher and lower elevations. Food and Feeding. Thomas's Shrew Tenrecs will eat smaller species of Microgale in pitfall traps. Breeding. Two wild-caught Thomas’s Shrew Tenrecs had two embryos, one of which was ajuvenile female with deciduous dentition. Activity patterns. Thomas’s Shrew Tenrecs are terrestrial. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Thomas's Shrew Tenrec is widely distributed and occurs in some protected areas. Its overall population is presumably large but probably decreasing. Major threats are habitat loss and fragmentation due to logging activities, use of fire for forest clearing, and conversion to agricultural land. Bibliography. Carleton & Schmidt (1990), Everson et al. (2016), Goodman & Jenkins (2000), Goodman, Jenkins & Pidgeon (1999), Goodman, Soarimalala et al. (2013), Jenkins (2003), Jenkins & Carleton (2005), MacPhee (1987), Olson & Goodman (2003), Soarimalala & Goodman (2003, 2011), Stephenson et al. (2016x).