MythscribeMundus
THE NATURAL & IMAGINED WORLDAn illustrated compendium
mythscribe.cloudSearch/
NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Web-footed Tenrec

Microgale mergulus (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.

Web-footed Tenrec (Limnogale mergulus) range

Web-footed Tenrec (Limnogale mergulus) range

Chermundy · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image source

Provider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.

Open encyclopedia reference

The web-footed tenrec, Malagasy otter shrew, or aquatic tenrec (Microgale mergulus) is the only known semiaquatic tenrec (the related African otter shrews have similar habits), and is found in eastern Madagascar, especially in and around Ranomafana National Park. It grows to between 25 and 39 cm (9.8 and 15.4 in), and was once thought to be extinct. It feeds on crabs, aquatic insects, and crayfish. The population is considered vulnerable. It was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Limnogale, but has been moved to Microgale based on molecular data showing it to be deeply nested within the latter.

Wikipedia contributors, Web-footed tenrec; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:07:30.060017+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Microgale mergulus (Major, 1896)
Name authority
(Major, 1896)
Common name
Web-footed 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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
  9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
  10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
  11. orderAfrosoricida Stanhope, 1998
  12. suborderTenrecomorpha Butler, 1972
  13. familyTenrecidae Gray, 1821
  14. subfamilyOryzorictinae Dobson, 1882
  15. genusMicrogale Thomas, 1882
  16. speciesMicrogale mergulus (Major, 1896)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Microgale. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Short-tailed Shrew TenrecMicrogale brevicaudata G. Grandidier, 1899TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Cowan's Shrew TenrecMicrogale cowani Thomas, 1882TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Dryad Shrew TenrecMicrogale dryas Jenkins, 1992TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Naked-nosed Shrew TenrecMicrogale gymnorhyncha Jenkins, Goodman & Raxworthy, 1996TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Shrew-toothed Shrew TenrecMicrogale soricoides Jenkins, 1993TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Taiva Shrew TenrecMicrogale taiva Major, 1896TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Thomas's Shrew TenrecMicrogale thomasi Major, 1896TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Nasolo's Shrew TenrecMicrogale nasoloi Jenkins & Goodman, 1999TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Grandidier's Shrew TenrecMicrogale grandidieri Olson et al., 2009TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Drouhard's Shrew TenrecMicrogale drouhardi G. Grandidier, 1934TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Pale Shrew TenrecMicrogale fotsifotsy Jenkins, Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1997TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Lesser Long-tailed Shrew TenrecMicrogale longicaudata Thomas, 1882TenrecidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 26 records assigned to Tenrecidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Limnogale mergulus Major, 1896 Major, 1896synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Africa

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.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1226782 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.

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:CBCMR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.