NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Least Shrew Tenrec
Microgale pusilla Major, 1896
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 least shrew tenrec (Microgale pusilla) is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests, swamps, pastureland, and irrigated land.
Wikipedia contributors, Least shrew tenrec; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:12:15.103143+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microgale pusilla Major, 1896
- Name authority
- Major, 1896
- Common name
- Least Shrew Tenrec
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Afrosoricida
- Family
- Tenrecidae
- Genus
- Microgale
- 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
- orderAfrosoricida Stanhope, 1998
- suborderTenrecomorpha Butler, 1972
- familyTenrecidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyOryzorictinae Dobson, 1882
- genusMicrogale Thomas, 1882
- speciesMicrogale pusilla Major, 1896
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Microgale. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Short-tailed Shrew TenrecMicrogale brevicaudata G. Grandidier, 1899 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cowan's Shrew TenrecMicrogale cowani Thomas, 1882 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dryad Shrew TenrecMicrogale dryas Jenkins, 1992 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Naked-nosed Shrew TenrecMicrogale gymnorhyncha Jenkins, Goodman & Raxworthy, 1996 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Shrew-toothed Shrew TenrecMicrogale soricoides Jenkins, 1993 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Taiva Shrew TenrecMicrogale taiva Major, 1896 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thomas's Shrew TenrecMicrogale thomasi Major, 1896 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nasolo's Shrew TenrecMicrogale nasoloi Jenkins & Goodman, 1999 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grandidier's Shrew TenrecMicrogale grandidieri Olson et al., 2009 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Web-footed TenrecMicrogale mergulus (Major, 1896) | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Drouhard's Shrew TenrecMicrogale drouhardi G. Grandidier, 1934 | TenrecidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pale Shrew TenrecMicrogale fotsifotsy Jenkins, Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1997 | TenrecidaeChordata | 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=633503 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:42WJJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.