''Microgale'' is a genus of

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

in the family Tenrecidae. There are 21 living species on the island of Madagascar and one extinct species known from a fossil. Some species have been discovered in the last twenty years. On the basis of molecular data indicating that Talazac's shrew tenrec and Dobson's shrew tenrec form a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the rest of ''Microgale'', these two species were transferred from ''Microgale'' to ''

Nesogale ''Nesogale'' is a genus of tenrecs, which are a family of afrotherian mammals endemic to Madagascar. On the basis of molecular data indicating its two species form a sister group to the rest of ''Microgale'' (21 extant species), they were transfe ...

'' in 2016. ''Nesogale'' and ''Microgale'' are estimated to have diverged about 19 million years ago, during the Early Miocene. The web-footed tenrec, ''M. mergulus'', the only semiaquatic member of the genus, was formerly placed in the monotypic genus ''Limnogale'', but was moved in 2016 on the basis of sequence data showing it to be deeply nested within ''Microgale''. ''Microgale'' contains the following extant species: *

Short-tailed shrew tenrec The short-tailed shrew tenrec (''Microgale brevicaudata'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasi ...

(''M. brevicaudata'') – G. Grandidier, 1899 * Cowan's shrew tenrec (''M. cowani'') – Thomas, 1882 *

Drouhard's shrew tenrec Drouhard's shrew tenrec (''Microgale drouhardi''), 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 subtropical or tropical mo ...

(''M. drouhardi'') – Grandidier, 1934 *

Dryad shrew tenrec The dryad shrew tenrec (''Microgale dryas''), also known as the tree shrew tenrec, is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( m ...

(''M. dryas'') - Jenkins, 1992 *

Pale shrew tenrec The pale shrew tenrec (''Microgale fotsifotsy''), 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 monta ...

(''M. fotsifotsy'') – Jenkins, Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1997 *

Gracile shrew tenrec The gracile shrew tenrec (''Microgale gracilis'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes o ...

(''M. gracilis'') – (Major, 1896) *

Grandidier's shrew tenrec ''Microgale grandidieri'', also known as Grandidier's shrew tenrec, is a species of shrew tenrec occurring in the dry forests of western and southwestern Madagascar. Populations of this species were formerly included in '' Microgale brevicaudata ...

(''M. grandidieri'') - Olson et al., 2009 *

Naked-nosed shrew tenrec The naked-nosed shrew tenrec (''Microgale gymnorhyncha'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasik ...

(''M. gymnorhyncha'') - Jenkins et al., 1996 *

Jenkins's shrew tenrec 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. Descrip ...

(''M. jenkinsae'') - Goodman & Soarimalala, 2004 *

Northern shrew tenrec The northern shrew tenrec (''Microgale jobihely'') 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 ...

(''M. jobihely'') - Goodman, Raxworthy, Maminirina & Olson, 2006 *

Lesser long-tailed shrew tenrec The lesser long-tailed shrew tenrec (''Microgale longicaudata'') 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. Range and Habi ...

(''M. longicaudata'') - Thomas, 1882 *

Major's long-tailed tenrec Major's long-tailed tenrec (''Microgale majori'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is the eastern humid forest of the island, as well as some western forests, where it has been see ...

(''M. majori'') - Thomas, 1918 * Web-footed tenrec (''M. mergulus'') - (Major, 1896) *

Montane shrew tenrec The montane shrew tenrec (''Microgale monticola'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes ...

(''M. monticola'') - Goodman & Jenkins, 1998 *

Nasolo's shrew tenrec Nasolo's shrew tenrec (''Microgale nasoloi'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountai ...

(''M. nasoloi'') - Jenkins & Goodman, 1999 *

Pygmy shrew tenrec The pygmy shrew tenrec (''Microgale parvula'') 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 sl ...

(''M. parvula'') - G. Grandidier, 1934 *

Greater long-tailed shrew tenrec The greater long-tailed shrew tenrec (''Microgale principula'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests. Distribution and habitat The gre ...

(''M. principula'') - Thomas, 1926 *

Least shrew tenrec The least shrew tenrec (''Microgale pusilla'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links= ...

(''M. pusilla'') - Major, 1896 * Shrew-toothed shrew tenrec (''M. soricoides'') - Jenkins, 1993 * Taiva shrew tenrec (''M. taiva'') - Major, 1896 *

Thomas's shrew tenrec Thomas's shrew tenrec (''Microgale thomasi'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links= ...

(''M. thomasi'') - Major, 1896 Shrew tenrecs converged on the shrew like body plan these animals also share the same diversity as shrews with web footed tenrecs closely resembling water shrews.

Extinct species

*''

Microgale macpheei ''Microgale macpheei'' is an extinct shrew tenrec from southeastern Madagascar. It is known only from two partial skulls found in Andrahomana cave, which radiocarbon dating of associated rodent remains suggests are about 3000 years old. It is t ...

'' -

subfossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

from southeastern Madagascar

References

* Afrosoricida Mammal genera Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{afrosoricida-stub