Abstract:
The Upper Guinea rainforest zone in West Africa
is considered a biodiversity hotspot and contains important
habitats for threatened and endemic mammals, yet
this region remains poorly known particularly for small
mammals. The aim of this study was to survey small
mammals in a Liberian and Guinean cross-border conservation
area, the Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi landscape. We
recorded a total of 52 small mammal species, including
26 bats, 15 rodents, 10 shrews, one otter-shrew, of which
one rodent species was new to science (Colomys sp. nov.).
We also documented the first country records of the bats
Chaerephon aloysiisabaudiae, Pseudoromicia brunnea and
Pipistrellus inexspectatus from Guinea, and the shrews
Crocidura douceti and Crocidura grandiceps from Liberia.
Furthermore, we recorded the recently described bat Nycticeinops
happoldorum from Wologizi and Ziama, and we
documented the presence of Micropotamogale lamottei at
Wologizi, which represents the fourth known locality for
this globally threatened species. Finally, the forests of
Wologizi and Ziama support numerous threatened species.
The results of our survey demonstrate the importance of
this region for small mammals and support the creation of a
transboundary protected area that will encompass the
entire forest landscape.
