North African elephant shrew

North African elephant shrew[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Macroscelidea
Family: Macroscelididae
Genus: Petrosaltator
Rathbun & Dumbacher, 2016
Species:
P. rozeti
Binomial name
Petrosaltator rozeti
(Duvernoy, 1833)
North African elephant shrew range
Synonyms[3]
  • Elephantulus rozeti (Duvernoy, 1833)
  • Macroscelides rozeti Duvernoy, 1833

The North African elephant shrew (Petrosaltator rozeti) or North African sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, and (since the extinction of the North African elephant) is the only extant afrotherian within its range.[note 1] The species was formerly classified in the genus Elephantulus, but molecular evidence indicates that it is more closely related to Petrodromus than to other members of Elephantulus. It was moved to a new genus, Petrosaltator, in 2016.[4] The split with Petrodromus likely occurred during the Miocene period.[5]

  1. ^ Schlitter, D.A. (2005). "Order Macroscelidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Rathbun, G.B. (2015). "Elephantulus rozeti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T42663A21289287. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  3. ^ Corbet, G.B.; Hanks, J. (1968). "A revision of the elephant-shrews, family Macroscelididae". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology. 16: 45–111.
  4. ^ Dumbacher, J. P.; Carlen, E. J. & Rathbun, G. B. (2016). "Petrosaltator gen. nov., a new genus replacement for the North African sengi Elephantulus rozeti (Macroscelidea; Macroscelididae)". Zootaxa. 4136 (3): 567–579. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4136.3.8. PMID 27395734.
  5. ^ Douady, C.J.; Catzeflis, F.; Raman, J.; Springer, M.S.; Stanhope, M.J. (2003). "The Sahara as a vicariant agent, and the role of Miocene climatic events, in the diversification of the mammalian order Macroscelidea (elephant shrews)". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (14): 8325–8330. doi:10.1073/pnas.0832467100. PMC 166228. PMID 12821774.


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