NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gray-faced Sengi
Rhynchocyon udzungwensis Rathbun & Rovero, 2008
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.
A Rhynchocyon udzungwensis (grey-faced sengi) in Mwanihana forest, Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania
Francesco Rovero (MUSE) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The grey-faced sengi or grey-faced elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon udzungwensis) is a species of small mammal belonging to the sengi family (Macroscelididae). It is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains of south-central Tanzania. The discovery of the species was announced in January 2008; only 15 species of sengi were known until then, and the last discovery was made more than 120 years ago. As the name implies, the species is characterised by a distinctive grey face and a black rump, as well as being larger than the other species of sengis.
Wikipedia contributors, Grey-faced sengi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:16:29.086893+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhynchocyon udzungwensis Rathbun & Rovero, 2008
- Name authority
- Rathbun & Rovero, 2008
- Common name
- Gray-faced Sengi
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Macroscelidea
- Family
- Macroscelididae
- Genus
- Rhynchocyon
- 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
- subfamilyRhynchocyoninae
- genusRhynchocyon Peters, 1847
- speciesRhynchocyon udzungwensis Rathbun & Rovero, 2008
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhynchocyon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black and Rufous Elephant ShrewRhynchocyon petersi Bocage, 1880 | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-tailed SengiRhynchocyon stuhlmanni Matschie, 1893 | MacroscelididaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-rumped Elephant ShrewRhynchocyon chrysopygus Günther, 1881 | 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=1226761 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:CC2L8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.