Dean, W.R.J.

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1977 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 507 STUTI1!RHl!IM, C J &: SKINNER, J D 1973. Preliminary notes on the behaviour and breedina of Gerbillurus paeba paeba (A Smith 1834) in NEW LOCALITY RECORDS FOR CROCIDURA MARIQUENSIS W R J DEAN Transvaal Nature Conservation Division, Barberspan Ornithological Research Station, P.O. Barberspan 2765. Accepted: June 1977 The black musk shrew Crocidura mariquensis has not previously been recorded south of 250 Sand west of 270 E in the Transvaal. Specimens have been collected at localities 24 26 DB (near the type locality), 26 27 AD (I Rautenbach pen. comm.), and at 26 27 DC in the Orange Free State (Lynch 1975). These localities have been plotted using the degree square locus system (Davis 1958). On 22 November 1976, an adult female C. moriquensis, Transvaal Museum specimen TM 27185, was collected in the grain store at Bossies, Transvaal (260 33'S/2So 37'E). A second specimen, an adult male, was found dead at Barbenpan Nature Reserve (260 33'S/2S0 36'E) on 27 April 1977. The occurrence of C. moriquensis in the Barbenpan area had been suspected for some months. Samples of bam owl (1)Ito alba) pellets collected on 12 September 1976 and on 28 December captivity. Koedoe 16: 127-148. WOIJII!, J B 1939. An exploratory Itudy of food-storing in ratl. J. compo Psychol. 28: 97-108. 1976 at Barbenpan Nature Reserve, contained Crocidura skulls that were tentatively identified al C. moriquensis. The present records extend the known distribu-tion of C. mariquensis some ISO km west and 200 km south of previous recorded localities. It is of interest to note that the rainy seasons of 1973/14, 1974/15 and 1975/16 were above average in the western Transvaal (rainfall at Barbenpan of 897 mm, 931 mm and 959 mm respectively; mean rainfall = S40 mm over 14 yean). Crocidura moriquensis occun in moist habitats (N Oippenaar pen. comm.), and the present records may be linked to the increased moisture level of the general area during these three yean. I am grateful to E J Morley, who caught and kept the flrlt C. moriquensis specimen, and to I Rauten-bach and N Oippenaar for information on distribu-tion and habitat of the species. REFERENCES DAVIS, D H S 1958. Degree-sqWU'e distribution diagrams: mapping system in use at the Medical Ecology Centre, Johannesburg. In Cartography of vectors of disease, Bakavu-Lwiro. eCTAl CSA Pub!. 29: 49-53. LYNCH, C D 1975. The distribution of mammals in the Orange Free State, South Africa. Navors. nos. Mus. Bloemfontein, 3: 109-139. .,; . . ~ .. ! :;, '\ .~,; .' Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2010). 

Locality records for Crocidura mariquensis

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Locality records for Crocidura mariquensis

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