Myosorex cafer

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	EULIPOTYPHLA	SORICIDAE

Scientific Name:

Myosorex cafer

Species Authority:

(Sundevall, 1846)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Dark-footed Forest Shrew, Dark-footed Mouse Shrew

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Baxter, R.

Reviewer/s:

Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Cox, N. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

History:

2004

–

Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Myosorex cafer is found in South Africa from the eastern escarpment and north to the Transvaal. It is also present in western Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe and Swaziland. In 1993, the subspecies M. sclateri was re-classified as a separate species and as a result the distribution of M. cafer now recognized as being more disjunct. This species can occur at elevations up to 2,000 m asl.
Countries:	Native: Mozambique; South Africa; Swaziland; Zimbabwe
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	This species generally occurs at densities of around ten individuals per hectare. However, in some areas they may occur at densities of 30 individuals per hectare.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	M. cafer occurs in primary afromontane and coastal forest. There is very little continuous forest habitat in its range and it is restricted to forest patches. In South Africa it occurs at higher elevations above 1,000 m asl in moist, evergreen forests.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	One of the main threats to this species is the degradation of the some of the forest patches it inhabits. In theory these forests are protected by South African law but they are still being degraded as a result of human encroachment for livestock grazing.

Major Threat(s):

One of the main threats to this species is the degradation of the some of the forest patches it inhabits. In theory these forests are protected by South African law but they are still being degraded as a result of human encroachment for livestock grazing.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	M. cafer is present on some areas of private property, where they are well conserved. The larger forest patches where it occurs also have a reasonable degree of protection.

Conservation Actions:

M. cafer is present on some areas of private property, where they are well conserved. The larger forest patches where it occurs also have a reasonable degree of protection.

Citation:	Baxter, R. 2008. Myosorex cafer. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2013.
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