Species composition and community structure of terrestrial small mammals in Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest (South-East Ivory Coast): implication for conservation

Abstract

Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest (TESF) is one of the most valuable conservation sites in Ivory Coast. It harbours an exceptional biodiversity with numerous endangered plants and animals. Indeed, several recent studies have been carried out in TESF to consolidate judgment of its importance for conservation in Ivory Coast. These investigations have mentioned the presence of threatened monkeys and frogs. Currently, small mammals of the TESF remain unknown despite the consensus around their importance in natural biotopes. Yet small terrestrial mammals are known to be good indicators of the conservation status of many tropical ecosystems. This study is a preliminary exploration of terrestrial small mammal communities in the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest. It aims to determine species composition and reveal their implication in the conservation of the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest. Thus, the three main habitat types (dryland forests, swamp forests and raphials (Raphia-dominated community)) were sampled using conventional Sherman and Victor wooden snap traps. With a trapping effort of 8400 trap nights, 294 individuals, representing nine species of rodents and four species of shrews were collected. The rodent community was dominated by Hylomyscus simus (n = 135), followed by Praomys rostratus (n = 65) and Malacomys edwardsi (n = 18). Crocidura buettikoferi (n = 22) was the most abundant shrew. The species richness and diversity index were higher in drylands than in swamp forests and raphials. Swamp forests showed the highest number of trapped animals (n = 126), followed by the dryland forests (n = 107) and the raphials with 63 individuals. One-way ANOVA test revealed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the abundance of terrestrial small mammals of the three sampled habitat types. Similarity indices showed that dryland and swamp forests were largely colonised by the same species. Three species are listed as threatened according to the criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Those are one rodent, Hylomyscus baeri, listed as Endangered (EN), and two shrews, Crocidura buettikoferi and Crocidura grandiceps, which are both Near Threatened (NT). This study reinforces the importance of TESF for fauna conservation in Ivory Coast.

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Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2020. 5(1): 53–63 https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2020.005
SPECIES COMPOSITION AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE
OF TERRESTRIAL SMALL MAMMALS IN TANOÉ-EHY SWAMP FOREST
(SOUTH-EAST IVORY COAST): IMPLICATION FOR CONSERVATION
Laurent Ahissa1, Bertin K. Akpatou1, Hilaire K. Bohoussou2, Blaise Kadjo1, Inza Koné1,3
1Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Côte d’Ivoire
e-mail: laurentahissa@yahoo.fr, bertinakpatou@yahoo.fr, blaisekadjo1@hotmail.com
2University of Man, Côte d’Ivoire
e-mail: kbohoussouhil@gmail.com
3Swiss Centre for Scientic Research in Côte d’Ivoire, Côte d’Ivoire
e-mail: inza.kone@csrs.ci
Received: 12.08.2019. Revised: 09.12.2019. Accepted: 10.12.2019.
Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest (TESF) is one of the most valuable conservation sites in Ivory Coast. It harbours
an exceptional biodiversity with numerous endangered plants and animals. Indeed, several recent studies have
been carried out in TESF to consolidate judgment of its importance for conservation in Ivory Coast. These in-
vestigations have mentioned the presence of threatened monkeys and frogs. Currently, small mammals of the
TESF remain unknown despite the consensus around their importance in natural biotopes. Yet small terrestrial
mammals are known to be good indicators of the conservation status of many tropical ecosystems. This study is
a preliminary exploration of terrestrial small mammal communities in the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest. It aims to
determine species composition and reveal their implication in the conservation of the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest.
Thus, the three main habitat types (dryland forests, swamp forests and raphials (Raphia-dominated community))
were sampled using conventional Sherman and Victor wooden snap traps. With a trapping effort of 8400 trap
nights, 294 individuals, representing nine species of rodents and four species of shrews were collected. The
rodent community was dominated by Hylomyscus simus (n = 135), followed by Praomys rostratus (n = 65) and
Malacomys edwardsi (n = 18). Crocidura buettikoferi (n = 22) was the most abundant shrew. The species rich-
ness and diversity index were higher in drylands than in swamp forests and raphials. Swamp forests showed the
highest number of trapped animals (n = 126), followed by the dryland forests (n = 107) and the raphials with
63 individuals. One-way ANOVA test revealed signicant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the abundance of ter-
restrial small mammals of the three sampled habitat types. Similarity indices showed that dryland and swamp
forests were largely colonised by the same species. Three species are listed as threatened according to the criteria
of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Those are one rodent, Hylomyscus baeri,
listed as Endangered (EN), and two shrews, Crocidura buettikoferi and Crocidura grandiceps, which are both
Near Threatened (NT). This study reinforces the importance of TESF for fauna conservation in Ivory Coast.
Key words: conservation, Côte d’Ivoire, diversity indices, Rodents, Shrews, swamp forest
Introduction
The Ivorian forests are acknowledged for
their high biological richness, species diver-
sity, and endemism. Indeed, the Ivorian forests
are part of the 35 world’s biodiversity hotspots
(Kuper et al., 2004; Mittermeier et al., 2011).
However, these forests are highly threatened
by human activities (Chatelain et al., 1996). In
Ivory Coast, about 120 000 km2 of forest have
disappeared in less than 40 years (Ake-Assi &
Boni, 1990; Chatelain et al., 1996). With a de-
forestation rate of 6.5% per year, Ivory Coast
exhibits one of the highest forests lost in the
world (Schmidt, 1990). This phenomenon re-
sults not only in the release of significant
amounts of greenhouse gases in nature (Fearn-
side, 2000; DeFries et al., 2002), but also in the
irreversible disappearance of most sensitive
components of the biological diversity (DeFries
et al., 2002). To mitigate this phenomenon, the
Ivorian government has initiated the creation of
Volunteer Nature Reserves (VNR) since 2002.
The aim of this decision was to strengthen its
traditional conservation policy based on nation-
al parks and other Protected Areas. A Volunteer
Nature Reserve designates a nature reserve cre-
ated on the initiative of the local community,
public establishment or particular who aspires
to preserve an area, an ecosystem or a remark-
able landscape belonging to it (Adou-Yao et al.,
2013). The Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest (TESF) is
a community forest suitable for the conserva-
tion of endangered animal and plant species in
the Upper Guinean forests (Koné et al., 2008;
Kpan et al., 2014; Missa et al., 2015). This for-
est is an ideal site for the implementation of in-

54
tegrated activities combining research, conser-
vation and community management of natural
resources. To further enhance protection, it has
been recommended to collect and update sci-
entific information for this forest (Koné et al.,
2008; Kpan et al., 2014). Presently, research
and conservation actions are ongoing in this
Volunteer Nature Reserve. Zoological groups
that have been studied are primates (Gonedele
Bi et al., 2008, 2012, 2013), fishes (Konan et
al., 2013, 2014) and amphibians (Kpan et al.,
2014). Studies concerning flora are limited
to those of Adou-Yao (2007) and Missa et al.
(2015). So far, faunistic data from Tanoé-Ehy
Swamp Forests are fragmentary (Koné & Ak-
patou, 2004; Kpan et al., 2014). Thus, TESF
deserves additional studies covering other zoo-
logical groups. Such novel studies should focus
on species that are sensitive to disturbances or
that could help better evaluate the level of hab-
itat integrity. In this context, terrestrial small
mammals, which ecological importance has al-
ready been demonstrated (Adam et al., 2015;
Bantihun & Bekele, 2015), are eligible.
Terrestrial small mammals (rodents and
shrews) are important because of their multiple
functional roles in the ecosystem, particularly
in trophic networks as an almost unlimited food
source for many predators such as small carni-
vores, snakes, raptors (Angelici, 2000; Luiselli &
Angelici, 2000). They have many benecial in-
teractions with plants such as seed dispersal, seed
germination and pollination of owers (Gautier-
Hion et al., 1985; Pearson et al., 2001) contribut-
ing to the recolonisation of forest gaps. They are
also good bio-indicators to assess the forest eco-
system health because of their high species rich-
ness and habitat preference. They occur in almost
all habitats (Barriere et al., 2006). Their short life-
cycle compensated by a rapid population dynamic
allows them to react rapidly to habitat disturbance
(Delattre et al., 1992; Nicolas et al., 2009). In ad-
dition, species richness and abundance of terres-
trial small mammals are regularly used to estab-
lish a disturbance gradient (Nicolas et al., 2009;
Avenant, 2011).
This study aims to contribute to a better
knowledge of the mammalian fauna in the TESF.
Indeed, exploration of terrestrial small mammals
of TESF will help better appreciate their impor-
tance in the dynamic of this particular ecosystem.
A survey of terrestrial small mammals (rodents
and shrews) of the TESF has been carried out to
(i) draw up a preliminary list of terrestrial small
mammals, (ii) determine species assemblages in
the main habitats and (iii) assessing conserva-
tion status of terrestrial small mammals accord-
ing to the International Union for the Conserva-
tion of Nature (IUCN, 2019) criteria.
Material and Methods
Study site
The Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest (TESF) is lo-
cated in south-east Ivory Coast (5.083‒5.250°
N, 2.750‒ 2.883° W, Fig. 1). It is watered with
an average annual rainfall of 1925 mm (Avenard
et al., 1971). The climate is of the subtropical
type and is under influence of two climatic sea-
sons, one dry season from January to February
and one rainy season from March to December.
The temperature varies between 22°C and 30°C
with an average of 26°C (Adou-Yao, 2007).
The TESF is drained by numerous tributaries of
the River Tanoe and the lagoon Ehy. The veg-
etation is mostly lowland forest with a peek of
the mountain less than 100 m (Avenard et al.,
1971). The soils in the TESF are hydromorphic
(clayey and silty) in the southern part. These are
marshy areas from siltation by lagoon depos-
its, coastal peat. Indeed, the study area consists
of a mosaic of dryland forests, swamp forests
and raphials. For this study, these three habitats
types were sampled.
The dryland forest is characterised by the
absence of ground water. The dominant plant
species in this habitat are Anthostema au-
bryanum Baill., Baphia nitida Lodd., Uapaca
guineensis Willd., Raphiostylis ferruginea
Engl., Mammea africana Sabine, Gaertnera
paniculata Benth, and Morinda longifolia G.
Don (Missa et al., 2015).
The swamp forest is dominated by plant
species such as Uapaca paludosa Aubrév & Le-
andri, Hallea ledermannii (K. Krause) Verdc,
Combretum aphanopetalum Engl. Diels, Xylo-
pia rubescens Oliv., Cytosperma senegalensis
(Schott) Engl. and Spondianthus preussii Engl.
(Missa et al., 2015). This habitat is permanently
or seasonally inundated.
The raphial comes from the reconstitution
of the marshland and is described as secondary
swamp forest (Avenard et al., 1971). In this hab-
itat, the dominant plant species are Raphia hook-
erii G. Mann & H. Wendl, Anthostema aubrya-
num Baill., Uapaca paludosa Aubrév & Leandri
and Xylopia rubescens Oliv. (Missa et al., 2015).
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55
Small mammal sampling
Sampling covered the period of September
2017 to March 2019, divided into four trapping
sessions. At each trapping session, all habitat
types were sampled. Sherman (SFA, HB
Sherman Traps, Inc., Tallahassee, FL, USA,
with dimensions 23 × 9 × 7.5 cm) and Victor
traps (Woodstream Corp. Lititz, PA, USA;
9.8 × 4.5 × 0.5 cm) were used to capture small
mammals. A total of 12 plots were sampled
in the TESF, representing four square plots of
2500 m2 each for each of three habitats types.
Five traplines of 50 m each, spaced 10 m apart
from each other, were plotted on each plot. On
each trapline, 10 trapping stations spaced at
5 m intervals were set, made up of two traps
(one Sherman and one Victor traps) per station.
Thus, each plot was investigated with 100 traps
including 50 Sherman traps and 50 Victor traps.
All traps remained open for seven consecutive
days and were checked every morning. The
trapping effort was 700 trap nights per plot.
Traps were baited with fresh palm (Elaeis
guineensis Jacq.) nuts and fresh cassava (Manihot
esculenta Crantz) chips. Baits were renewed
immediately after removal of the animal in the
trap. However, all baits were systematically
renewed after three consecutive trapping days.
Captured animals were identied, sexed and
weighted. External measurements (head and
body length, tail length, hind-foot length, and
ear length) were recorded. Only non-identied
animals (few specimens of Malacomys, Prao-
mys, Mus, Mastomys and shrews) in the eld
were euthanised, preserved in 90% alcohol and
brought back to the laboratory for additional ex-
amination. These voucher specimens were iden-
tied based on crania-dental analysis (Nicolas,
2003; Akpatou et al., 2007) compared to our
specimen collection. Rodents and shrews were
named according to the current taxonomy and
nomenclature (Happold, 2013; Happold & Hap-
pold, 2013). The other animals which were well
identied were tagged in the ear and released.
Data analysis
Several ecological indices were used to
describe the structure of small mammal com-
munities of the TESF. Trapping success (T) is
defined as the number of individuals captured
Fig. 1. Study area and small mammal sampling sites in the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest.
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56
per 100 night traps: T = (n/E) × 100, where n:
number of animals captured and E: trapping
night (Kadjo et al., 2013). Relative abundance
(RA) is the expression of the importance of
each species compared to all those recorded in
a particular site. Relative abundance was used
to appreciate how common or rare a species is,
compared to other species in a particular habi-
tat: RA = ni/N, where ni: number of individuals
of species «i» as a whole and N = Σni (total
number of individuals captured).
Biological diversity was estimated us-
ing Shannon index dened as follows: H’ =
-∑pi log2 pi with pi = (ni/N), where ni: number
of individuals of a species in a sample and N:
total number of individuals of all species in the
same sample (Shannon, 1948). The estimation
of species regularity in different habitats was
made from the computation of equitability index
(E): E = H’/H’max where H’max: maximum value
of H’, H’max = log2Sobs (Sobs: number of species
observed). Species richness is estimated from
the Chao1 estimator (Chao, 1984). The diver-
sity t test (Magurran, 1988) was used to com-
pare Shannon (H’) and equitability (E) indices
between different habitats. Analyses were per-
formed using the PAST 3.25 software.
Sorensen similarity index (S) was used to es-
timate similarities in faunal composition (Tchapg-
nouo et al., 2012). This index measures the simi-
larity between lists of species from two different
sites. For two lists A and B, with «A» as number
of species of site x, «B» as number of species of
site y and «C» as number of species common to
both sites x and y, Sxy = [2C/(A+B)] × 100. Sxy var-
ies from 0% to 100%. Sxy = 0% when there are no
common species between the two sites. Sxy reaches
100% when both lists are identical.
One-way ANOVA was used to compare the
species abundance (RA). The Chi-square test
was used to compare the trapping success be-
tween traps. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used
to compare the trapping success between habi-
tats. A Principal component analysis (PCA) was
used to identify the correlation between small
mammal abundance and habitat types (Pardini,
2004). PCA was carried out using XLSTAT soft-
ware version 2019.
Results
Trap success
During this study, 294 individuals were
caught in 8400 trap nights. The trapping success
(T) was 4.46%, 3.78%, and 2.25% respectively
for swamp forest, dryland forest and raphial,
the over all trapping success was 3.52%. The
Kruskal-Wallis comparison test showed that the
trapping success varied signicantly (p = 0.03)
between swamp forest and raphial. No signi-
cant difference (p > 0.05) exist between the trap-
ping success of dryland forest and the two other
habitats (raphial and swamp). A total of 170
individuals were captured with Sherman traps
(trap success = 4.04%) and 124 individuals with
Victor wooden snap traps (trap success = 3%).
The number of individuals caught per trap type
was signicantly higher with Sherman traps (χ2
= 12.06, df = 1, p < 0.01).
Species composition
The 294 terrestrial small mammals repre-
sented thirteen species, including nine rodents
and four shrews (Table 1). The rodent commu-
nity was dominated by Hylomyscus simus Aellen
et Coolidge, 1930 (n = 135). It was followed by
Praomys rostratus Miller, 1900 (n = 65), Mala-
comys edwardsi Rochebrune, 1885 (n = 18). The
least represented rodent species were Malaco-
mys cansdalei Ansell, 1958 (n = 7), Hylomyscus
baeri Heim de Balsac and Aellen, 1965 (n = 5),
Mus musculoides Smith, 1834 (n = 5), Masto-
mys natalensis (Smith, 1834) (n = 1) and De-
phomys defua (Miller, 1900) (n = 1). Crocidura
buettikoferi Jentink, 1888 (n = 22) was the most
abundant shrew. The least represented shrew
species were Crocidura jouvenetae Heim de
Balsac, 1958 (n = 5), Crocidura olivieri Lesson,
1827 (n = 3) and Crocidura grandiceps Hutterer,
1983 (n = 1).
Species relative abundance per habitat
In the swamp forest, Hylomyscus simus was
signicantly abundant (ANOVA, p < 0.001; n =
71; RA = 56.8%). It represents more than half of
the individuals captured in this habitat. It was
followed by Praomys rostratus (n = 21; RA =
16.8%) and Crocidura buettikoferi (n = 10; RA
= 8%) (Fig. 2). In the raphial, Hylomyscus simus
(n = 21; RA = 33.33%) and Praomys rostratus
(n = 21; RA = 33.33%) were the most dominant
species (ANOVA, p < 0.05) (Fig. 2). In dryland,
Hylomyscus simus (n = 43; RA = 40.57%) re-
mained the most abundant species (ANOVA, p
< 0.05) followed by Praomys rostratus (n = 23;
RA = 21.70%) and Malacomys edwardsi (n = 14;
RA = 13.21%) (Fig. 2).
Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2020. 5(1): 53–63 https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2020.005

57
Table 1. Species collected in the study area, number of individuals, relative abundance and conservation status. Trapping ef-
fort per site was of 2800 trap nights
Species Swamp
forest Raphial Dryland
forest Total Relative
abundance (%)
Conservation status
(IUCN)
Shrews
Crocidura buettikoferi Jentink, 1888 10 9 3 22 7.48 NT
Crocidura grandiceps Hutterer, 1983 1 1 0.34 NT
Crocidura jouvenetae Heim de Balsac, 1958 4 1 5 1.7 LC
Crocidura olivieri (Lesson, 1827) 3 3 1.02 LC
Total Shrews 14 12 5 31
Rodents
Dephomys defua (Miller, 1900) 1 1 0.34 LC
Hylomyscus baeri Heim de Balsac & Aellen, 1965 3 2 5 1.7 EN
Hylomyscus simus (G.M. Aellen & Coolidge, 1930) 71 21 43 135 45.91 LC
Lophuromys sikapusi (Temminck, 1853) 8 4 12 4.08 LC
Malacomys cansdalei Ansell, 1958 1 2 4 7 2.38 LC
Malacomys edwardsi Rochebrune, 1885 3 1 14 18 6.12 LC
Mus musculoides Smith, 1834 5 5 1.7 LC
Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834) 4 5 6 14 4.76 LC
Praomys rostratus (Miller, 1900) 21 21 23 65 22.11 LC
Total Rodents 111 51 101 263
Total (Shrews and Rodents) (N=294) 125 63 106
Species number 9 8 11
Trap success 4.46% 2.25% 3.78%
Shannon index (H’) 1.44 1.6 1.74
Equitability 0.65 0.77 0.72
Chao1 11 8.5 11.5
Fig. 2. Abundance of terrestrial small mammal species in three different types of habitats of the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest.
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58
Diversity index
The diversity indices (Table 1) show that the
small mammal community in the dryland forest
has a higher species richness (S = 11) than the
swamp forest (S = 9) and the raphial (S = 8).
The highest value of Shannon index (H’) was re-
corded in dryland forest (H’ = 1.74). It was fol-
lowed by raphial (H’ = 1.6) and the lowest value
was observed in the swamp forest (H’ = 1.44)
(Table 1). The pairwise comparisons of habitat
diversity index values H’ using the diversity t
test showed a signicant difference (p = 0.04)
between dryland forest and swamp forest. No
signicant difference (p > 0.05) was observed
between the other habitats. The equitability was
the highest (E = 0.77) in raphial and the lowest
(E = 0.65) in swamp forest (Table 1). No signi-
cant differences of equitability were observed
between habitats (p > 0.05).
Similarity
Estimations of similarity indices between the
three habitats reveal that the dryland forest and
swamp forest were very similar in terms of species
richness (Sxy = 90%). The terrestrial small mam-
mal recorded in the raphial were 70.59% similar
to those of the swamp forest. The largest species
variation (Sxy = 52.63%) was observed between
dryland forest and raphial.
Correlations between small mammal abun-
dance and habitat types
A biplot (Fig. 3) shows the two axes of principal
component analysis (PCA) of the abundance (num-
ber of specimens) of rodent and shrew species in the
three habitat types of the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp For-
est (TESF). In the PCA, 55.56% and 44.44% of the
total variability is explained by the rst and second
axes respectively. The rst axis separates the dry-
land forest from ooded forests (swamp forest and
raphial). This axis was positively correlated with
some species: Crocidura grandiceps, Hylomyscus
baeri, Malacomys cansdalei, Malacomys edwardsi,
Mastomys natalensis, Mus musculoides and Prao-
mys rostratus. These species, except Hylomyscus
baeri, were strongly associated with the dryland
forest. The other species were negatively correlated
with axis 1. The second PCA axis shows a clear sep-
aration between the three habitats. Crocidura jou-
venetae, Hylomyscus simus, Hylomyscus baeri and
Lophuromys sikapusi were positively correlated to
axis 2 and they were mostly associated with swamp
forest. Dephomys defua and Crocidura olivieri were
strongly associated with raphial (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Principal component analyses showing correlation between small mammal abundance and habitat types in the Tanoé-
Ehy Swamp Forest. Designations: C.: Crocidura; D.: Dephomys; H.: Hylomyscus; L.: Lophuromys; P.: Praomys.
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59
Discussion
Thirteen species of terrestrial small mam-small mam-
mals were identified during this study. This
specific diversity is composed of the main spe-
cies found in most of forest habitats subjected
to fragmentation phenomena. Terrestrial small
mammals recorded at the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp
Forest (TESF) were relatively similar to those
of most littoral forests in Ivory Coast (Dosso,
1983; Decher et al., 2005; Akpatou et al., 2018).
However, the comparison with previous stud-
ies should be considered with caution. Though
all of these studies were carried out in almost
similar environments, there are many other im-
portant factors to consider. These are bait types,
trapping period and effort, microhabitats and
level of habitat fragmentation. It is proven that
the variation of these factors can influence the
performance of trapping devices (Nicolas et al.,
2010). One particularity of this study is the low
species richness compared to that reported for
the well protected Taï National Park (17 spe-
cies, Akpatou et al., 2018) (Table 2). However,
it is higher than those recorded in Banco Na-
tional Park (11 species, Kadjo et al., 2013) and
other sites in Ivory Coast (Decher et al., 2005).
The terrestrial small mammal community in
TESF is dominated by forest dwelling species (Hy-
lomyscus simus, Praomys rostratus, Malacomys
edwardsi). This result conrms that the Tanoé-Ehy
Swamp Forest is relatively well preserved.
According to the PCA results, most of the
forest species were strongly associated with
dryland forest (Malacomys cansdalei, Mala-
comys edwardsi, Crocidura grandiceps, and
Praomys rostratus) and with the swamp for-
est (Hylomyscus simus, Hylomyscus baeri, and
Crocidura jouvenetae). The presence of Mala-
comys cansdalei and Malacomys edwardsi in
all habitats types reflects the relative integrity
of the TESF.
However, the capture of species such as
Lophuromys sikapusi, Mastomys natalensis, Mus
musculoides and Crocidura olivieri is an evidence
of human actions in the forest. The presence these
species clearly indicates the inltration of ripar-
ian populations into the forest as observed during
eld work through tree felling and clearing for
agricultural needs. These anthropogenic actions
are common in African forests and often lead to
the emergence of new pioneer species (Nicolas et
al., 2010; Iyongo et al., 2012).
Hylomyscus simus and Praomys rostra-
tus are the most abundant in the three habitats
sampled. Both species are known for their high
adaptive capacity and ability to colonise sever-
al habitat types (Dosso, 1983; Happold, 2013).
Species of the genus Hylomyscus and Praomys,
notably Hylomyscus stella and Praomys mison-
nei, are known for their great swimming and
climbing abilities (Nicolas, 2003). These quali-
ties may be present in their respective sibling
species Hylomyscus simus and Praomys ros-
tratus. The swimming and climbing capaci-
ties have undoubtedly enabled H. simus and P.
rostratus species to better adapt to forests on
hydromorphic soil (swamp forest and raphial)
at the TESF. This may explain their relatively
higher abundance in these two habitats com-
pared to other species.
Table 2. Summary of the main small mammal species inventories carried out in Ivory Coast. Only studies that are subject to
comparison of richness and specic diversity were retained in the table
Locality Date of collect Trap type Trapping effort Bait
Species richness
References
Rodents Shrews
Tanoé-Ehy
Swamp Forest
September 2017 to
March 2019
Sherman traps,
snap traps 8400 trap nights Palm nuts,
cassava 9 4 This study
Taï National
Park March to June 2010 Sherman traps,
pitfalls 8610 trap nights Palm nuts 11 6 Akpatou et al., 2018
Taï National
Park
October 1996 to
November 1998
Pitfalls, Sherman
traps, snap trap 61 920 trap nights Palm nuts - 10 Churcheld et al., 2004
Banco Na-
tional Park
November 2007 to
January 2008
Sherman traps,
Longworth traps 5014 trap nights Palm nuts,
smoked sh 7 4 Kadjo et al., 2013
Haute Dodo
classied
forest
March to April 2002 Pitfalls, Sherman
traps, snap trap 680 trap nights Palm nuts 7 5 Decher et al., 2005
Cavally classi-
ed forest March to April 2002 Pitfalls, Sherman
traps, snap trap 1180 trap nights Palm nuts 7 3 Decher et al., 2005
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60
In the swamp forest, Malacomys accounts for
8.5% of the total catches and has a relatively low
abundance in swamp forest and raphial. This result
seems surprising, particularly for M. cansdalei, as it
is known for its preference for moister swampy hab-
itats (Happold, 2013). Additional data of M. cans-
dalei are necessary for a better understanding of its
habitat preference in the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest.
Of the two species, M. edwardsi and M. cansdalei,
present in the Upper Guinean forests, M. edwardsi
is recognised as the most abundant (Dosso, 1983;
Happold, 2013; Kadjo et al., 2013; Akpatou et al.,
2018). The results of this study are in agreement
with these authors.
Hylomyscus baeri, identied during our study,
is an Endangered species according to IUCN (2019)
criteria for species conservation status. This species
has a restricted range in West Africa such as Ivory
Coast, Ghana (Gautun & Bellier, 1970; Robbins &
Setzer, 1979), a disjunct record from Panguma, Si-
erra Leone (Grubb et al., 1998), and a record from
Ziama, Guinea (Nicolas et al., 2006). The popula-
tion size and trend of this species is not yet clari-
ed. Hylomyscus baeri is known only from very
few collections, despite intensive investigations in
these areas. Deforestation is probably a major threat
to this species. Moreover, its typical localities (Adi-
opodoume, Grand-Lahou, Zegbe and Divo) in Ivory
Coast are under high human pressure (Gautun &
Bellier, 1970). This species needs strong conserva-
tion actions such as research on distribution, popula-
tion size, trends, and monitoring.
Only four shrews were collected at the TESF.
The relative abundance of shrews was larger in ra-
phial and swamp forest than in the dryland forest.
The ubiquitous Crocidura buettikoferi is the most
abundant shrew’s species in TESF. Hydromorphic
environments, regularly wet, contain more inver-
tebrates (earthworms, Isopods, small gastropods
and insects) (Leeper & Taylor, 1998) known to be
relevant food for shrews of the genus Crocidura
(Churcheld et al., 2004).
Despite these potentialities for shrews their rich-
ness in TESF is lower than obtained in Taï National
Park and Haute Dodo classied forest (Churcheld et
al., 2004; Decher et al., 2005; Akpatou et al., 2018).
The lower diversity of shrew species observed in
TESF could be explained in part by the trapping de-
vice used in the three habitats investigated.The device
for trapping terrestrial small mammals integrating
pitfall traps gives better yields with regard to shrew’s
diversity (Nicolas et al., 2009; Akpatou et al., 2018).
In this study, no pitfall line was installed.
The species richness of small mammals was
higher in dryland forest compared with the swamp
forest and the raphial. Similar results have been ob-
served in forest on Mount Doudou in Gabon (Nicolas
et al., 2004). In general, the equitability (E ≥ 0.63)
was high in the three habitat types inventoried. This
shows that the population of terrestrial small mam-
mals in TESF was co-dominated by several species.
However, the high dominance of H. simus in the
swamp forest justies the low equitability (E = 0.63)
observed in this habitat. The trapping success dem-
onstrates that Sherman traps were signicantly more
effective in capturing terrestrial small mammals than
wooden snap traps. The trapping success was higher
in swamp forest than in dryland forest. Similar results
have been observed in the same habitat types in Ga-
bon (Nicolas, 2003). Similarity indices show that the
dryland and swamp forests were mainly populated
by the same species. The Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest
is dominated by swamps; terrestrial small mammals
have to be adapted to this environment with hydro-
morphic soil and dry soil in places. The phenomenon
of adaptation to different local biotopes is well known
in terrestrial small mammals (Kennis, 2012).
The Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest is a sanctuary of
many species of primates, amphibians and plants
which are classied as threatened according to the
IUCN (2019). This study has identied three terres-
trial small mammals considered by IUCN (2019) as
of conservation concern. These are H. baeri classi-
ed as Endangered (EN) and C. buettikoferi and C.
grandiceps as Near Threatened (NT). These species
could benet from the conservation programmes
granted to the emblematic species of the TESF.
Conclusions
This study is a preliminary survey of the terres-
trial small mammal diversity and abundance of the
Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest. The thirteen species of
terrestrial small mammals collected during this study
enrich the scientic knowledge of the mammalian
fauna of this forest. The conrmation of forest dwell-
ing species is encouraging for the preservation of the
TESF. This must be done taking into account their
high sensitivity to fragmentation and disturbance. In
addition to the above, today the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp
Forest is one of the revenant sites for the conservation
of the Endangered Hylomyscus baeri in Ivory Coast.
Thus, the presence of numerous species of conserva-
tion concern in this Volunteer Nature Reserve under-
scores the urgent need for its effective protection. As
a result, the full protection of the TESF is a challenge
for researchers and conservationists.
Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2020. 5(1): 53–63 https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2020.005

61
Acknowledgments
We thank the Swiss Centre for Scientic Research in Ivo-
ry Coast (CSRS) for its nancial support through the RASAP-
CI programme (Research and Actions for the Safeguarding
of Primates in Ivory Coast). We express our gratitude to the
Rufford Foundation for its nancial support through the proj-
ect ID: 24451-1. We also thank the Laboratory of Biology and
Animal Zoology of UFR Biosciences for its technical support.
We express our sincere gratitude to Konan Ernest, technician
of the TESF, for his assistance in the eld. We acknowledge
local guides for their assistance. Finally, we thank the anony-
mous reviewers for their constructive comments and criticisms
that have improved this manuscript.
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ВИДОВОЙ СОСТАВ И СТРУКТУРА СООБЩЕСТВ НАЗЕМНЫХ МЕЛКИХ
МЛЕКОПИТАЮЩИХ В ЗАБОЛОЧЕННОМ ЛЕСУ ТАНОЭ-ЭЙХИ
(ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНОЕ ПОБЕРЕЖЬЕ КОТ-Д’ИВУАР):
ПРИРОДООХРАННОЕ ЗНАЧЕНИЕ
Л. Ахисса1, Б. К. Акпатоу1, Х. К. Бохоуссоу2, Б. Кадйо1, И. Конэ1,3
1Университет Феликса Уфуе-Буани, Кот-д’Ивуар
e-mail: laurentahissa@yahoo.fr, bertinakpatou@yahoo.fr, blaisekadjo1@hotmail.com
2Университет города Ман, Кот-д’Ивуар
e-mail: kbohoussouhil@gmail.com
3Швейцарский центр научных исследований в Кот-д’Ивуар, Кот-д’Ивуар
e-mail: inza.kone@csrs.ci
Заболоченный лес Таноэ-Эйхи (ЗЛТЭ) является одним из наиболее значимых участков для сохранения
природы в Кот-д’Ивуаре. Он отличается исключительным богатством биоразнообразия, включая многие
исчезающие растения и животные. Действительно, в последние годы в ЗЛТЭ были проведены исследо-
вания с целью уточнить данные о его важности для сохранения биоразнообразия в Кот-д’Ивуаре. Эти
исследования коснулись угрожаемых видов обезьян и лягушек. В настоящее время данных о мелких
млекопитающих в ЗЛТЭ нет, несмотря на общее мнение об их важности в природных местообитаниях.
Тем не менее, известно, что мелкие наземные млекопитающие являются хорошими индикаторами со-
стояния сохранения многих тропических экосистем. Настоящая работа является первым исследовани-
ем сообществ наземных мелких млекопитающих в заболоченном лесу Таноэ-Эйхи. Оно направлено на
определение видового состава и выявление подходов к сохранению ЗЛТЭ. Было выбрано три основных
типа местообитаний (засушливые леса, заболоченные леса и рафиалы (леса с доминированием Raphia
sp.)) с использованием обычных ловушек Шермана и деревянных пружинных ловушек Виктора. В ре-
зультате 8400 ловушко-ночей, было поймано 294 особи, относящиеся к девяти видам грызунов и 4 видам
насекомоядных. В сообществе грызунов доминировали вид Hylomyscus simus (n = 135), а также Praomys
rostratus (n = 65) и Malacomys edwardsi (n = 18). Crocidura buettikoferi (n = 22) имел наибольшее обилие
среди насекомоядных. Видовое богатство и индекс разнообразия были выше в засушливых лесах, чем в
заболоченных лесах и рафиалах. Заболоченные леса показали наибольшее число пойманных животных
(n = 126), меньшее число было поймано в засушливых лесах (n = 107) и рафиалах (n = 63). Однофактор-n = 63). Однофактор- = 63). Однофактор-
ный дисперсионный анализ показал значительные отличия (p ≤ 0.05) между обилием наземных мелких
млекопитающих в трех изученных типах местообитаний. Индексы сходства показали, что засушливые и
заболоченные леса были в значительной степени заняты одними и теми же видами. Три вида являются
угрожаемыми, согласно критериям МСОП. Из них один вид грызунов, Hylomyscus baeri, имеет статус
Исчезающий (Endangered – EN), а два вида насекомоядных, Crocidura buettikoferi и Crocidura grandiceps,
имеют статус близких к уязвимому положению (Near Threatened – NT). Это исследование подчеркивает
важность ЗЛТЭ для сохранения фауны в Кот-д’Ивуаре.
Ключевые слова: грызуны, заболоченный лес, индексы разнообразия, Кот-д’Ивуар, насекомояд-
ные, сохранение
Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2020. 5(1): 53–63 https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2020.005