Petrodromus tetradactylus
| Kingdom |
Phylum |
Class |
Order |
Family |
| ANIMALIA |
CHORDATA |
MAMMALIA |
MACROSCELIDEA |
MACROSCELIDIDAE |
| Scientific Name: |
Petrodromus tetradactylus |
| Species Authority: |
Peters, 1846 |
Common Name/s:
| English |
– |
Four-toed Sengi, Four-toed Elephant-shrew, Four-toed Elephant Shrew |
|
| Taxonomic Notes: |
In the past the single family was included in
the order Insectivora, but now the family is in the monophyletic order
Macroscelidea and the newly created super-cohort Afrotheria. Currently, there are 17 living species recognized in four
genera. The soft-furred sengis or elephant-shrews include three genera: Macroscelides
and Petrodromus are each monospecific, while Elephantulus
contains 11 species. The four species of giant sengis belong to the genus Rhynchocyon.
The common name "sengi" is being used in place of elephant-shrew by
many biologists to try and disassociate the Macroscelidea from the true shrews
(family Soricidae) in the order Soricomorpha. See the Afrotheria
Specialist Group web site for additional information. |
Assessment Information
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| Red List Category & Criteria: |
Least Concern
ver 3.1
|
| Year Published: |
2008 |
| Assessor/s: |
FitzGibbon, C., Perrin, M., Stuart, C. (IUCN SSC Afrotheria Specialist Group) & Smit, H. (Stellenbosch University) |
| Reviewer/s: |
Rathbun, G. (Afrotheria Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) |
Justification:
This sengi is the second most widespread species, occurring from central and eastern Africa south to the northeastern corner of South Africa. It occupies true forest habitats, dense woodlands, scrub, and riparian areas. It is also able to live in fallow agricultural areas that have suitable cover and leaf litter, invertebrates for food. Although habitat destruction and subsistence hunting may be a problem in localized areas, overall this sengi faces minimal threats. The species is listed as Least Concern.
|
| History: |
| 2006 |
– |
Least Concern
(IUCN 2006)
|
| 1996 |
– |
Lower Risk/least concern
(Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
|
|
Geographic Range
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| Range Description: |
This species is present in DR Congo, Tanzania (including Mafia and Zanzibar), south-eastern Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, south-eastern Zimbabwe, north-eastern Angola, and north-eastern South Africa (Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces). Although some generalized distribution maps for this species show the northern form, P. t. tordayi, crossing the Ubangi or Congo rivers into Congo, there is no indication that it actually occurs north of these rivers (Corbet and Neal 1965; Corbet and Hanks 1968). Although P. t. tetradactylus has been reported from the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, apparently there are no confirmed records.
|
| Countries: |
Native:
Angola; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Rwanda; South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga); Tanzania, United Republic of; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Presence uncertain:
Namibia
|
| Range Map: |
Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
|
Population
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| Population: |
Although widespread, the species is only locally common.
|
| Population Trend: |
Stable
|
Habitat and Ecology
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| Habitat and Ecology: |
Forest, dense woodlands, and thickets (Jennings and Rathbun 2001), where animals probably form monogamous pairs (FitzGibbon 1995).
|
| Systems: |
Terrestrial |
| Major Threat(s): |
There are no major threats. In coastal Kenya, FitzGibbon et al. (1995) estimated that the subsistence take for food is sustainable.
|
Conservation Actions
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| Conservation Actions: |
The species occurs in protected areas.
|
