Soricidae

Water shrew, Neomys fodiens, photographed by J. van der Kooij.

Belongs within: Lipotyphla.
Contains: Sorex, Blarina, Cryptotis, Soriculus, Myosorex, Crocidurinae.

The Soricidae are the shrews, the largest modern 'family' of lipotyphlans. The earliest definite Soricidae are recorded from the middle Eocene of North America, but with confirmed examples from Eurasia shortly thereafter and potential Eurasian species even earlier (Rose 2006). Crown group shrews are characterised by the possession of a double temporo-mandibular joint with neomorphic second lower joint surface and of a deep fossa accomodating the internal temporal muscle opening into the medial side of the coronoid process of the mandible, and the absence of the zygomatic arch, but these characters are not yet present in the stem subfamily Heterosoricinae (Butler 1988, Rose 2006).

The majority of crown-group shrews are divided between the subfamilies Soricinae and Crocidurinae, distinguished by features of the mandibular condyle and of P₄ (Butler 1978). Many species of Soricinae also have the teeth pigmented red by the deposition of iron in a superficial aprismatic layer over the white enamel (Rose 2006). A third subfamily, Myosoricinae, has also been recognised for a group of African genera including the mouse shrews Myosorex. A further extinct subfamily, the Limnoecinae, is known from the Middle Miocene to Middle Pliocence of North America (Van Valen 1967). Within the Soricinae, the living tribes Soricini and Neomyini are each found in both Eurasia and the Americas. The Blarinini are present in the Recent fauna only in the Americas, but are also known from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Eurasia. The fourth tribe, the extinct Allosoricini, are known from from the Middle Miocence to the late Pliocene of Europe (Van Valen 1967). The water shrews of the genus Neomys hunt aquatic prey, and are found in temperate Eurasia.

See also: Meet the shrews (Taxon of the Week: Soricidae).

Characters (from Rose 2006): Mandible with long, pointed angular process; auditory bulla and zygomatic arch absent. Enlarged anterior incisors, lower incisor procumbent and often with serrated or multilobed crown; remaining antemolar teeth reduced; P₄ primitively unicuspid and triangular; P⁴/M₁ shear developed; dilambdodont molars. Entoconid usually large and separate from hypolophid.

<==Soricidae
    |  i. s.: Arctisorex polaris TH03
    |         Mafia Reumer 1984 P04
    |           `--M. csarnotensis Reumer 1984 P04
    |         Ruwenzorisorex suncoides IT07
    |         Limnoecinae V67
    |           |--Angustidens Repenning 1967 V67
    |           `--Limnoecus Stirton 1930 V67
    |         Podihik Deraniyagala 1958 V67
    |--Heterosoricinae B88
    |    |--Domnina Cope 1873 [incl. Miothen Cope 1873, Protosorex Scott 1895] V67
    |    |    |--*D. gradata Cope 1873 M60
    |    |    |--‘*Miothen’ crassigenus Cope 1873 M60
    |    |    |--‘Protosorex’ crassus M60
    |    |    |--‘Miothen’ gracile Cope 1873 M60
    |    |    `--D. thompsoni Simpson 1941 M58
    |    |--Paradomina Hutchison 1966 V67
    |    |--Ingentisorex Hutchison 1966 V67
    |    `--Trimylus Roger 1885 [incl. Heterosorex Gaillard 1915] V67
    `--+--Soricinae B78
       |    |--Soricini V67
       |    |    |--Sorex MB86
       |    |    |--Crocidosorex Lavocat 1951 [incl. Oligosorex Kretzoi 1959] V67
       |    |    |--Antesorex Repenning 1967 V67
       |    |    |--Drepanosorex Kretzoi 1941 V67
       |    |    |--Microsorex Baird 1877 V67
       |    |    |    `--M. hoyi (Baird 1858) B75 [=Sorex hoyi B75; incl. M. winnemana BP87]
       |    |    |--Alluvisorex Hutchison 1966 V67
       |    |    |--Blarinella Thomas 1911 V67
       |    |    |    |--B. quadraticauda IT07
       |    |    |    `--B. wardi IT07
       |    |    |--Petenyia Kormos 1934 V67
       |    |    `--Zelceina Sulimski 1962 V67
       |    |--Blarinini V67
       |    |    |  i. s.: ‘Sorex’ dehneli Kowalski 1956 V67
       |    |    |--Blarina RM05
       |    |    |--Adeloblarina Repenning 1967 V67
       |    |    |--Cryptotis V67
       |    |    |--Paracryptotis Hibbard 1950 V67
       |    |    |--Shikamainosorex Hasegawa 1957 V67
       |    |    |--Blarinoides Sulimski 1959 V67
       |    |    |    `--B. mariae Sulimski 1959 P04
       |    |    `--Peisorex Kowalski & Li 963 V67
       |    |--Neomyini [Amblycoptinae, Anourosoricinae, Crossopinae, Hydrosoridae, Nectogalinae, Soriculi] V67
       |    |    |--Neomys Kaup 1829 (see below for synonymy) V67
       |    |    |    |--N. anomalus OC03
       |    |    |    |--N. fodiens (Pennant 1771) FK55
       |    |    |    |    |--N. f. fodiens CM07
       |    |    |    |    `--N. f. bicolor CM07
       |    |    |    `--N. schelkovnikovi IT07
       |    |    |--Nectogale Milne-Edwards 1870 V67
       |    |    |    `--N. elegans IT07
       |    |    |--Anourosorex Milne-Edwards 1870 [=Anurosorex Anderson 1875; incl. Pygmura Anderson 1875] V67
       |    |    |    `--A. squamipes M58
       |    |    |--Soriculus V67
       |    |    |--Petenyiella Kretzoi 1956 [incl. Allopachyura Kormos 1934] V67
       |    |    |--Episoriculus Ellerman & Morrison-Scott 1951 V67
       |    |    |--Asoriculus Kretzoi 1959 V67
       |    |    |    `--A. gibberodon (Petényi 1864) (see below for synonymy) P04
       |    |    |--Chodsigoa Kashchenko 1907 V67
       |    |    |--Beremendia Kormos 1934 V67
       |    |    |--Chimarrogale Anderson 1877 [incl. Crossogale Thomas 1921] V67
       |    |    |    |--C. hantu IT07
       |    |    |    |--C. himalayica IT07
       |    |    |    |--C. leander M58
       |    |    |    |--C. phaeura IT07
       |    |    |    |--C. platycephala IT07
       |    |    |    |--C. styani IT07
       |    |    |    `--C. sumatrana IT07
       |    |    |--Amblycoptus Kormos 1926 V67
       |    |    |--Hesperosorex Hibbard 1957 V67
       |    |    |--Notiosorex Baird 1877 V67
       |    |    |    |--N. crawfordi (Coues 1877) MB86
       |    |    |    |    |--N. c. crawfordi MB86
       |    |    |    |    `--N. c. evotis (Coues 1877) MB86
       |    |    |    |--N. gigas G69
       |    |    |    `--N. (Xenosorex) phillipsii Schaldach 1966 G69
       |    |    |--Deinsdorfia Heller 1963 V67
       |    |    |    `--D. kordosi Reumer 1984 P04
       |    |    `--Megasorex Hibbard 1950 V67
       |    |         `--M. gigas IT07
       |    `--Allosoricinae V67
       |         |  i. s.: ‘Sorex’ gracilidens Viret & Zapfe 1951 V67
       |         `--Allosorex Fejfar 1966 V67
       `--+--Myosorex MJ11
          `--Crocidurinae B78

Asoriculus gibberodon (Pétenyi 1864) [=Crocidura gibberodon, Episoriculus gibberodon, Soriculus gibberodon] P04

Neomys Kaup 1829 [incl. Amphisorex Duvernoy 1835, Crossopus Wagler 1832, Hydrogale Kaup 1829, Hydrosorex Duvernoy 1835, Leucorrhynchus Kaup 1829, Myosictis Pomel 1854, Pinalia Gray 1838] V67

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B75] Bowles, J. B. 1975. Distribution and biogeography of mammals of Iowa. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University 9: 1–184.

[BP87] Burton, J. A., & B. Pearson. 1987. Collins Guide to the Rare Mammals of the World. Collins: London.

[B78] Butler, P. M. 1978. Insectivora and Chiroptera. In: Maglio, V. J. & H. B. S. Cooke (eds) Evolution of African Mammals pp. 56–68. Harvard University Press: Cambridge (Massachusetts).

[B88] Butler, P. M. 1988. Phylogeny of the insectivores. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods, vol. 2. Mammals pp. 117–141. Clarendon Press: Oxford.

[CM07] Cokendolpher, J. C., & P. G. Mitov. 2007. Natural enemies. In: Pinto-da-Rocha, R., G. Machado & G. Giribet (eds) Harvestmen: The Biology of Opiliones pp. 339–373. Harvard University Press: Cambridge (Massachusetts).

[FK55] Felten, H., & C. König. 1955. Einige Säugetiere aus dem Zentralmassiv, Südfrankreich. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36: 267–269.

[G69] Goodwin, G. G. 1969. Mammals from the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, in the American Museum of Natural History. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 141 (1): 1–269, 40 pls.

[IT07] Isaac, N. J. B., S. T. Turvey, B. Collen, C. Waterman & J. E. M. Baillie. 2007. Mammals on the EDGE: conservation priorities based on threat and phylogeny. PloS One 2 (3): e296.

[MB86] Matson, J. O. & R. H. Baker. 1986. Mammals of Zacatecas. Special Publications, Museum of Texas Tech University 24: 1–88.

[M58] McDowell, S. B., Jr. 1958. The Greater Antillean insectivores. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 115 (3): 113–214.

[M60] McKenna, M. C. 1960. The Geolabidinae: a new subfamily of early Cenozoic erinaceoid insectivores. University of California Publications in Geological Sciences 37 (2): 131–164.

[MJ11] Meredith, R. W., J. E. Janečka, J. Gatesy, O. A. Ryder, C. A. Fisher, E. C. Teeling, A. Goodbla, E. Eizirik, T. L. L. Simão, T. Stadler, D. L. Rabosky, R. L. Honeycutt, J. J. Flynn, C. M. Ingram, C. Steiner, T. L. Williams, T. J. Robinson, A. Burk-Herrick, M. Westerman, N. A. Ayoub, M. S. Springer & W. J. Murphy. 2011. Impacts of the Cretaceous terrestrial revolution and KPg extinction on mammal diversification. Science 334: 521–524.

[OC03] Olson, P. D., T. H. Cribb, V. V. Tkach, R. A. Bray & D. T. J. Littlewood. 2003. Phylogeny and classification of the Digenea (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda). International Journal for Parasitology 33: 733–755.

[P04] Popov, V. V. 2004. Pliocene small mammals (Mammalia, Lipotyphla, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, Rodentia) from Muselievo (north Bulgaria). Geodiversitas 26 (3): 403–491.

[RM05] Reilly, S. M., R. W. Manning, C. C. Nice & M. R. J. Forstner. 2005. Systematics of isolated populations of short-tailed shrews (Soricidae: Blarina) in Texas. Journal of Mammalogy 86 (5): 887–894.

Rose, K. D. 2006. The Beginning of the Age of Mammals. JHU Press.

[TH03] Tedford, R. H., & C. R. Harington. 2003. An Arctic mammal fauna from the Early Pliocene of North America. Nature 425: 388–390.

[V67] Van Valen, L. 1967. New Paleocene insectivores and insectivore classification. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 135 (5): 217–284.