Micropotamogale ruwenzorii

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	AFROSORICIDA	TENRECIDAE

Scientific Name:

Micropotamogale ruwenzorii

Species Authority:

(de Witte & Frechkop, 1955)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Rwenzori Otter Shrew, Ruwenzori Otter Shrew
French	–	Le Micropotamogle Du Mont Ruwenzori

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Near Threatened ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Vogel, P. (IUCN SSC Afrotheria Specialist Group)

Reviewer/s:

Rathbun, G. (Afrotheria Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
The species lives in some very isolated areas, yet as human habitation and pressure in their range grows, the species tends to disappear. Increasing human density in the region is cause of concern. The species is close to qualifying for Vulnerable under criterion B, but some parts of the range are still intact, so the range is not thought to be severely fragmented.

History:

2006	–	Near Threatened (IUCN 2006)
1996	–	Endangered
1994	–	Indeterminate (Groombridge 1994)
1990	–	Indeterminate (IUCN 1990)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Endemic to central Africa. Found only in the Rwenzori region (Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo), and west of Lake Edward and Lake Kivu (Democratic Republic of Congo) (Rahm 1966; Bronner and Jenkins 2005).
Countries:	Native: Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Uganda
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Little quantitative information; locally not rare.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Found in streams and small rivers of varying size in the rainforest zone from 800 to 900 m (n=4) and in montane forest up to 2,200 m (n=4) (Rahm 1960). Also recorded in streams in gallery forest surrounded by secondary savanna (elephant grass) from 1,000 to 1,200 m. It digs tunnels and constructs hay or grass sleeping chambers within them. Micropotamogale spp. have been recorded eating insects, insect larvae, worms, crabs, fish and small frogs. Within the Potamogalinae, the webbed feet of M. ruwenzorii reveal a peculiar strong adaptation for aquatic life: even the forefeet are proportionally very big, the thumb and little finger elongated (Verheyen 1961). Similar morphological adaptations are found in only a few other insectivorous small mammals such as Limnogale mergulus (Tenrecidae), Nectogale elegans (Soricidae) and Galemys pyrenaica (Talpidae) which are always separated from species without webbed feet on generic level. Swimming is done according to the paddling mode including pectoral and pelvic stroke (as in polar bear) in cross gate. Only when diving the feet may be used synchronously (Rahm 1961) as observed in the Pyrenean Desman (Niethammer 1970). The tail seems not to be use for propulsion. There are several periods of activity each night; grooming occurs after each activity period (Rahm 1961). Foraging occurs in water. The preferred prey are crabs with a carapace width <5 em, aquatic insects, oligochaete worms and fish (Clarias, etc.). An otter-shrew weighing 135 g eats an equivalent of 80 g of food per night. Manipulation of food is performed only with the mouth, not with the forefeet. Faecal pellets (ca. 2-5 em long, diameter 0.9 em) contain fragments of chitin from the crab and insect prey (Rahm 1961). No information exists on social or reproductive behavior. Embryo number: 1 (n=2) or 2 (n=1) (Rahm 1960, Stephan pers. comm).
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Found in streams and small rivers of varying size in the rainforest zone from 800 to 900 m (n=4) and in montane forest up to 2,200 m (n=4) (Rahm 1960). Also recorded in streams in gallery forest surrounded by secondary savanna (elephant grass) from 1,000 to 1,200 m. It digs tunnels and constructs hay or grass sleeping chambers within them. Micropotamogale spp. have been recorded eating insects, insect larvae, worms, crabs, fish and small frogs.

Within the Potamogalinae, the webbed feet of M. ruwenzorii reveal a peculiar strong adaptation for aquatic life: even the forefeet are proportionally very big, the thumb and little finger elongated (Verheyen 1961). Similar morphological adaptations are found in only a few other insectivorous small mammals such as Limnogale mergulus (Tenrecidae), Nectogale elegans (Soricidae) and Galemys pyrenaica (Talpidae) which are always separated from species without webbed feet on generic level. Swimming is done according to the paddling mode including pectoral and pelvic stroke (as in polar bear) in cross gate. Only when diving the feet may be used synchronously (Rahm 1961) as observed in the Pyrenean Desman (Niethammer 1970). The tail seems not to be use for propulsion. There are several periods of activity each night; grooming occurs after each activity period (Rahm 1961).

Foraging occurs in water. The preferred prey are crabs with a carapace width <5 em, aquatic insects, oligochaete worms and fish (Clarias, etc.). An otter-shrew weighing 135 g eats an equivalent of 80 g of food per night. Manipulation of food is performed only with the mouth, not with the forefeet. Faecal pellets (ca. 2-5 em long, diameter 0.9 em) contain fragments of chitin from the crab and insect prey (Rahm 1961).

No information exists on social or reproductive behavior. Embryo number: 1 (n=2) or 2 (n=1) (Rahm 1960, Stephan pers. comm).

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is susceptible to getting caught in fish traps. The main threat, however, is loss of habitat in its restricted range through human activities.

Major Threat(s):

This species is susceptible to getting caught in fish traps. The main threat, however, is loss of habitat in its restricted range through human activities.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Present in the Virunga National Park. Basic biology and conservation research will determine the types and feasibility of realistic conservation measures.

Conservation Actions:

Present in the Virunga National Park. Basic biology and conservation research will determine the types and feasibility of realistic conservation measures.

Bibliography [top]

	Afrotheria Specialist Group. 2004. Specialist Group website. Available at: http://www.calacademy.org/research/bmammals/afrotheria/ASG.html. Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (comps and eds). 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Bronner, G. N. and Jenkins, P. D. 2005. Order Afrosoricida. In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 70-81. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA. Corbet, G. B. 1974. Subfamily Potamogalinae. In: J. Meester and H. W. Setzer (eds), The Mammals of Africa: An Identification Manual, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA. de Witte, G.-F. and Frechkop, S. 1955. Sur une espèce encore inconnue de mammifère africain, Potamogale ruwenzorii sp. N. Bulletin de l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique 31(84): 1–11. Frechkop, S. 1957. A propos de nouvelles espèces de Potamogalinés. Mammalia 21: 226–234. Groombridge, B. (ed.). 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Nicoll, M. E. and Rathbun, G. B. 1990. African Insectivora and elephant-shrews: An action plan for their conservation. IUCN/SSC Insectivore, Tree-Shrew and Elephant-Shrew Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Rahm, U. 1960. Note sur les spécimens actuellement connus de Micropotamogale (Mesopotamogale) ruwenzorii et leur répartition. Mammalia 24: 511–515. Rahm, U. 1966. Les mammifères de la forêt équatoriale de l'est du Congo. Annales Musee Royal De L'Afrique Cetentrale (Tervuren). ser. 8 149: 39-121.

Afrotheria Specialist Group. 2004. Specialist Group website. Available at: http://www.calacademy.org/research/bmammals/afrotheria/ASG.html.

Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (comps and eds). 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Bronner, G. N. and Jenkins, P. D. 2005. Order Afrosoricida. In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 70-81. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Corbet, G. B. 1974. Subfamily Potamogalinae. In: J. Meester and H. W. Setzer (eds), The Mammals of Africa: An Identification Manual, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA.

de Witte, G.-F. and Frechkop, S. 1955. Sur une espèce encore inconnue de mammifère africain, Potamogale ruwenzorii sp. N. Bulletin de l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique 31(84): 1–11.

Frechkop, S. 1957. A propos de nouvelles espèces de Potamogalinés. Mammalia 21: 226–234.

Groombridge, B. (ed.). 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Nicoll, M. E. and Rathbun, G. B. 1990. African Insectivora and elephant-shrews: An action plan for their conservation. IUCN/SSC Insectivore, Tree-Shrew and Elephant-Shrew Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Rahm, U. 1960. Note sur les spécimens actuellement connus de Micropotamogale (Mesopotamogale) ruwenzorii et leur répartition. Mammalia 24: 511–515.

Rahm, U. 1966. Les mammifères de la forêt équatoriale de l'est du Congo. Annales Musee Royal De L'Afrique Cetentrale (Tervuren). ser. 8 149: 39-121.

Citation:	Vogel, P. 2008. Micropotamogale ruwenzorii. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2012.
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