A NEW SPECIES OF Microgale (LIPOTYPHLA, TENRECIDAE) FROM ISOLATED FOREST IN SW MADAGASCAR 



157 



Table 1 Selected dimensions of the holotype and paratype of Microgale nasoloi compared with adult specimens of M. cowani and M. brevicaudata. Data 

 is presented as mean ± standard deviation, followed by range, with sample size in parentheses. 



M. brevicaudata 



M. cowani 



M. nasoloi 

 Vohibasia 

 FMNH 156187 



M. nasoloi 

 Analavelona 

 FMNH 161575 



81 





70 



53 





62 



13 





14 



16 





16 



14.0 





5.9 



Character 

 HB 



TL 



HF 



E 



Wt 



Condylo-incisive length 

 Upper toothrow length 

 Rostral breadth 

 Interorbital breadth 

 Braincase breadth 

 Braincase height 



75.00 ±4.47 

 66-82(10) 

 35.64 ±2.84 

 30-41 (11) 

 12.55 ±0.49 

 12-13(11) 

 11.82 ± 1.11 

 10-13(11) 

 11.0 ±0.89 

 10-12.5 (6) 

 20.87 ± 0.66 

 19.9-22.0(12) 

 9.31 ±0.33 

 8.7-10.0(12) 

 3.53 ±0.16 

 3.3-3.8(12) 

 5.10± 0.14 

 4.9-5.4(12) 

 8.83 ± 0.25 

 8.5-9.2(12) 

 5.66 ±0.1 8 

 5.4-6.1 (12) 



77.78 ± 5.64 

 68-85(12) 

 65.44 ±3.00 

 61-71 (11) 

 16.03 ±0.60 

 15-17(12) 

 14.19 ± 1.42 

 12-17(12) 

 13.75 ±0.90 

 12.5-15.5(8) 

 22.38 ±0.44 

 21.4-23.0(12) 

 10.73 ±0.19 

 10.4-11.0(12) 

 2.47 ± 0.85 

 2.3-2.6(12) 

 5.23 ±0.15 

 5.0-5.6(12) 

 10.07 ±0.18 

 9.8-10.3(12) 

 6.59 ±0.14 

 6.4-6.8(12) 



23.2 



10.2 



3.1 



4.3 



9.2 



4.9 



hairs, shorter than head and body (TL: HB 0.65). Pinnae large and 

 prominent, eyes moderately large. Hindfoot relatively short (HF: 

 HB 0.16). First digit of hindfoot just reaches base of second digit, 

 third digit longest, second and fourth subequal, both slightly longer 

 than fifth. Pelage soft and fine in texture, grey dorsally, grading into 

 darker grey ventrally ; manus and pes light buffy grey; lateral portion 

 of rostrum from nose to eyes brown; tail grey, slightly darker above 

 than below, well-clothed with long scale-hairs. Hairs of dorsal 

 pelage grey basally, with pale buffy grey tips, intermixed with guard 

 hairs with grey bases, brown tops and light grey tips. Ventral pelage 

 with grey bases and buffy grey tips. The Analavelona specimen 

 differs slightly in the more pronounced buffy wash on the postero- 

 dorsal and ventral surfaces. Mammary formula: axial 1, abdominal 

 2, inguinal 1. 



Skull medium in length (for dimensions see Table 1) but flattened 

 in appearance and with a narrowly constricted interorbital region 

 (see Fig. 3). Rostrum broad, parallel-sided; interorbital region shal- 

 low, long, very narrow and markedly concave; braincase shallow 

 and long, with angular supra-articular facets; lambdoid crest well 

 developed; occipital short, vertically inclined relative to long axis of 

 skull; sinus canal shallowly curved; right and left upper toothrows 

 from II to P2 sub-parallel; anterior incisive foramina very large, 

 posterior incisive foramina lie between anterior region of canines; 

 mesopterygoid region long and narrow; mesopterygoid fossa postero- 

 ventrally constricted by markedly inwardly curved pterygoid 

 processes; mandibular fossa broad and shallowly curved; tympanic 

 processes of alisphenoid and basisphenoid very reduced, rostral 

 tympanic process of petrosal reduced; ectotympanic occupies poste- 

 rior position within tympanic region, not in contact with entoglenoid 

 process of squamosal, tympanic process of alisphenoid or tympanic 

 process of basisphenoid. Mandible moderately robust; coronoid 

 process broad; angular process short and slender but dorsal surface 

 flattened and broad; ascending ramus robust with large dorsal and 



ventral articular facets; distance between angular process and as- 

 cending ramus short. See Figs 3 and 4 for illustrations of the 

 dentition. First upper incisor (1 1 ) robust, pro-odont, greater in crown 

 height than C, distostyle well developed; short diastema between II 

 and 12; 12 robust, approximately equal in crown height to C, anterior 

 accessory cusp and distostyle well developed; 13 small, anteroflexed, 

 slightly taller than distostyle of 12, with which it is in contact; C 

 robust, with small anterior accessory cusp and distostyle; P2 small, 

 slightly greater in crown height than distostyle of C, with which it is 

 in contact, tooth with two closely adpressed roots; P3 small, slightly 

 greater in crown height than 13, protostyle well developed, anterior 

 ectostyle and distotyle present, talon reduced; P4 large, mesostyle, 

 anterior ectostyle and distostyle well developed, talon well devel- 

 oped, especially protocone; well developed, bucco-lingually 

 elongated talons also present on Ml to M3; M3 anteroposteriorly 

 compressed, bucco-lingually elongated. First lower incisor (il) 

 large, subequal in crown height to i2, hypoconulid (posterior acces- 

 sory cuspid) well developed; i2 robust, slightly greater in crown 

 height than c, hypoconulid well developed; i3 small, slightly greater 

 in crown height than hypoconulid of i2; c moderately robust, no 

 anterior accessory cuspid, hypoconulid present; p2 small, subequal 

 in crown height to i3, two roots present; p3 small, slightly greater in 

 crown height than p2, with small paraconid and hypoconid; p4, ml 

 and m2 as in other species of Microgale; m3 talonid with low 

 hypoconid, oblique crest and hypoconulid, and shallow talonid 

 basin. 



Distribution. Known only from the forests of Vohibasia and 

 Analavelona in southwestern Madagascar between 780 and 1050 m 

 (Figure 1). 



ETYMOLOGY. This new species is named in honor of the late 

 Nasolo Rakotoarison who was Curator of Mammals at Pare 

 Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo. Nasolo was 



