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 ...

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

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

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