Macroscelides micus
Macroscelides micus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Macroscelidea |
Family: | Macroscelididae |
Genus: | Macroscelides |
Species: | M. micus
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Binomial name | |
Macroscelides micus Dumbacher & Rathbun, 2014
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● specimen localities |
Macroscelides micus (common name Etendeka round-eared sengi or Etendeka round-eared elephant shrew) is a species of
Description
Macroscelides micus is the smallest known elephant shrew. Its body shape resembles that of a long-nosed mouse.[4] However, as a member of the superorder Afrotheria, it is actually more closely related to elephants and manatees than mice.[3] It has pink skin and red fur which helps it camouflage itself against the volcanic rocks of its environment.[3][4] It weighs less than one ounce (28 grams) and is 7.3 inches (19 cm) long, including the tail, when fully grown. M. micus has long, thin legs relative to its body.[4]
M. micus does not burrow, instead sleeping in bushes. It uses its long nose to hunt for ground insects.[4] Some elephant shrew species are known to be monogamous and mate for life.[3] It is unknown if this is the case for M. micus. The young of M. micus, which are often born as twins, are capable of running from birth.[4]
Discovery and identification
Macroscelides micus was first spotted as an unusual sample (collected in 2006) among a collection of elephant shrews stored at the
In 2014, Dumbacher et al. formally described M. micus as a new species. The specific name comes from the Greek mikros, meaning small. The "Etendeka" in the common name is the native word for the mountain range where M. micus lives. The scientific team speculated the species had not previously been identified because it has a small range in a remote area that is hard to reach.[3]
Related species
Macroscelides micus is
M. micus does not overlap
The authors also explained several limitations and confusions involving an enigmatic report of Macroscelides melanotis (Ogleby 1838), whose type specimen was not available for destructive DNA testing and had an "unnatural" appearance. Recommending M. melanotis be treated as a nomen dubium, they expressed doubt that the described characteristics were consistent with M. micus: "The reported pale, reddish brown chest color is not visible on the specimen, nor is the dunnish white abdomen or throat."[2]
References
- . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e f Khan, Amina (June 27, 2014). "New sengi species is related to an elephant, but small as a mouse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
- ^ Christian Science Monitor. Reuters. Archived from the originalon July 1, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.