NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eastern Rock Elephant Shrew
Elephantulus myurus Thomas & Schwann, 1906
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The eastern rock sengi or eastern rock elephant shrew (Elephantulus myurus) is a species of sengi in the family Macroscelididae. It is found in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and rocky areas. Their foraging habitat mainly consists of rocky areas, and they prefer to eat insects.
Wikipedia contributors, Eastern rock sengi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:43:53.596291+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Elephantulus myurus Thomas & Schwann, 1906
- Name authority
- Thomas & Schwann, 1906
- Common name
- Eastern Rock Elephant Shrew
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Macroscelidea
- Family
- Macroscelididae
- Genus
- Elephantulus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderMacroscelidea Butler, 1956
- familyMacroscelididae Bonaparte, 1838
- subfamilyMacroscelidinae
- genusElephantulus Thomas & Schwann, 1906
- speciesElephantulus myurus Thomas & Schwann, 1906
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Elephantulus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Short-snouted Elephant ShrewElephantulus brachyrhynchus (A. Smith, 1836) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky-footed Elephant ShrewElephantulus fuscipes (Thomas, 1894) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bushveld Elephant ShrewElephantulus intufi (A. Smith, 1836) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Rock Elephant ShrewElephantulus rupestris (A. Smith, 1831) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Karoo Rock SengiElephantulus pilicaudus Smit, 2008 | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky Elephant ShrewElephantulus fuscus (Peters, 1852) | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=584917 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:398CY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.