Microgale

Microgale
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Afrosoricida
Suborder:	Tenrecomorpha
Family:	Tenrecidae
Subfamily:	Oryzorictinae
Genus:	Microgale Thomas, 1882
Type species
Microgale cowani Thomas, 1882
Species
21 extant, 1 extinct; see text

Microgale^[1] is a genus of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. There are 21 living species on the island of Madagascar and one extinct species known from a fossil. Some species have been discovered in the last twenty years.

On the basis of molecular data indicating that Talazac's shrew tenrec and Dobson's shrew tenrec form a sister group to the rest of Microgale, these two species were transferred from Microgale to Nesogale in 2016.^[2] Nesogale and Microgale are estimated to have diverged about 19 million years ago, during the Early Miocene.^[2] The web-footed tenrec, M. mergulus, the only semiaquatic member of the genus, was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Limnogale, but was moved in 2016 on the basis of sequence data showing it to be deeply nested within Microgale.^[2]

Microgale contains the following extant species:

• Short-tailed shrew tenrec (M. brevicaudata) G. Grandidier, 1899
• Cowan's shrew tenrec (M. cowani) Thomas, 1882
• Drouhard's shrew tenrec (M. drouhardi) G. Grandidier, 1934
• Dryad shrew tenrec (M. dryas) Jenkins, 1992
• Pale shrew tenrec (M. fotsifotsy) Jenkins, Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1997
• Gracile shrew tenrec (M. gracilis) (Forsyth Major, 1896)
• Grandidier's shrew tenrec (M. grandidieri) Olson et al., 2009
• Naked-nosed shrew tenrec (M. gymnorhyncha) Jenkins et al., 1996
• Jenkins's shrew tenrec (M. jenkinsae) Goodman & Soarimalala, 2004
• Northern shrew tenrec (M. jobihely) Goodman, Raxworthy, Maminirina & Olson, 2006
• Lesser long-tailed shrew tenrec (M. longicaudata) Thomas, 1882
• Major's long-tailed tenrec (M. majori) Thomas, 1918
• Web-footed tenrec (M. mergulus)^[2] (Forsyth Major, 1896)
• Montane shrew tenrec (M. monticola) Goodman & Jenkins, 1998
• Nasolo's shrew tenrec (M. nasoloi) Jenkins & Goodman, 1999
• Pygmy shrew tenrec (M. parvula) G. Grandidier, 1934
• Greater long-tailed shrew tenrec (M. principula) Thomas, 1926
• Least shrew tenrec (M. pusilla) Forsyth Major, 1896
• Shrew-toothed shrew tenrec (M. soricoides) Jenkins, 1993
• Taiva shrew tenrec (M. taiva) Forsyth Major, 1896
• Thomas's shrew tenrec (M. thomasi) Forsyth Major, 1896

Shrew tenrecs converged on the shrew like body plan these animals also share the same diversity as shrews with web footed tenrecs closely resembling water shrews.

Extinct species

• Microgale macpheei - subfossil from southeastern Madagascar^[3]

References

1. Bronner, G.N.; Jenkins, P.D. (2005). "Order Afrosoricida". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 72–75. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Everson, K. M.; Soarimalala, V.; Goodman, S. M.; Olson, L. E. (2016). "Multiple Loci and Complete Taxonomic Sampling Resolve the Phylogeny and Biogeographic History of Tenrecs (Mammalia: Tenrecidae) and Reveal Higher Speciation Rates in Madagascar's Humid Forests". Systematic Biology. 65 (5): 890–909. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syw034. PMID 27103169.
3. Goodman, S. M.; Vasey, N.; Burney, D. A. (2007). "Description of a new species of subfossil shrew tenrec (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae: Microgale) from cave deposits in southeastern Madagascar". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 120 (4): 367–376. doi:10.2988/0006-324X(2007)120[367:DOANSO]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 55418982.

• Olson, L. E.; Rakotomalala, Z.; Hildebrandt, K. B. P.; Lanier, H. C.; Raxworthy, C. J.; Goodman, S. M. (2009). "Phylogeography of Microgale brevicaudata (Tenrecidae) and Description of a New Species from Western Madagascar". Journal of Mammalogy. 90 (5): 1095–1110. doi:10.1644/08-MAMM-A-305.1.