The Sulawesi white-handed shrew or Temboan shrew (''Crocidura rhoditis'') is a species of
mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
in the family
Soricidae. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the island of
Sulawesi
Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...
in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. It is a fairly common species and the population seems stable so the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
has assessed its conservation status as being of "
least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...
".
Taxonomy
The Sulawesi white-handed shrew was
first described in 1921 by the American zoologists
Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. and Hollister as ''Crocidura rhoditis''. The type locality is Temboan in North Sulawesi. ''Crocidura rhoditis'' is part of an assemblage of shrews endemic to northern and central Sulawesi which also includes the
Sulawesi shrew
The Sulawesi shrew (''Crocidura lea'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the central and northern provinces of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is a fairly common species and the International Union for Conservation of Na ...
(''Crocidura lea''), the
black-footed shrew (''Crocidura nigripes''), the
elongated shrew
The elongated shrew (''Crocidura elongata'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania ...
(''Crocidura elongata'') and the
mossy forest shrew
The mossy forest shrew (''Crocidura musseri'') is a species of shrew native to Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Paci ...
(''Crocidura musseri'').
Deep genetic divergences have been detected within ''Crocidura rhoditis'', suggesting the existence of potential cryptic diversity in this species
Description
The Sulawesi white-handed shrew is a small species of white-toothed shrew; it lacks the deposits of iron in the enamel of the teeth which is seen in the red-toothed shrews. The dorsal pelage is short and velvety, being greyish-brown or reddish-brown and the underside is paler. The ears are prominent, the legs are short, the feet are white, and the tail is long and clad with a few long well-scattered hairs.
Distribution and habitat
The Sulawesi white-handed shrew is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi where it is found in the northern, central and southwestern parts of the island. Its typical habitat is primary tropical lowland or montane forests, but it seems able to survive in secondary forests as well. The extent to which it can adapt to degraded habitats is unclear.
Behaviour
Very little is known of its natural history and behaviour of the Sulawesi white-handed shrew.
Like other members of its family it lives among the leaf litter and is insectivorous and is likely to eat insects and small arthropods.
[ They have a very short lifespan, with most individuals living for only 12-18 months.]
Status
The Sulawesi white-handed shrew is fairly common in some locations and is regularly caught in pitfall traps. The population trend appears to be steady and no particular threats to this species have been recognised although it is likely to be adversely affected by forest clearance. It has a wide range and is believed to be present in several protected areas, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...
".
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1768007
Crocidura
Endemic fauna of Indonesia
Mammals of Sulawesi
Taxa named by Ned Hollister
Taxa named by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr.
Mammals described in 1921
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot