Title
The terrestrial small mammals of the Parc National de Masoala, northeastern Madagascar
Author(s)
V. Andrianjakarivelo, E. Razafimahatratra, Yvette Razafindrakoto and S. M. Goodman
Published
2005
Publisher
Acta Theriologica
Abstract
The results of small mammal inventories at 11 sites ranging from sea level to 1000 m a.s.l. on the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar are presented. The Rodentia and Lipotyphla (ex Insectivora) of this peninsula, that contain extensive areas of lowland rainforest and some montane habitat, were previously poorly known. Fifteen endemic (5 rodents and 10 tenrecs) and 2 introduced species [Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Suncus murinus (Linnaeus, 1766)] were recorded. Species diversity in the lowland forests was reduced as typically found in other lowland sites in the eastern humid forest, while that of the lower montane zone was notably low as compared with other nearby large forested areas to the interior of the peninsula. Several ideas are presented to explain this difference, including the peninsula effect.
Keywords
Rodentia, Lipotyphla, small mammals, survey, species richness, endemic species, Madagascar
Full Citation
Andrianjakarivelo, V., Razafimahatratra E., Razafindrakoto, Y.,and Goodman, S. M. 2005. The terrestrial small mammals of the Parc National de Masoala, northeastern Madagascar. Acta Theriologica 50 (4): 537–549.
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