Suncus

Savi's pygmy shrew Suncus etruscus, one of the smallest living mammals, photographed by Daniel Heuclin.

Belongs within: Soricidae.

Suncus, the musk shrews, are found in southern Asia and Africa. One species, the house shrew Suncus murinus, has become widely dispersed through the Indo-Pacific region as a commensal of humans.

Characters (from Nowak 1999): Head and body length 35-150 mm, tail length 25-100 mm. Colour grey to brown. Fur short, soft, may be velvety. Tail with long hairs projecting beyond short bristly hairs. Males with strong musky odor produced from large well-developed scent gland on flanks.

<==Suncus
    |--S. ater IT07
    |--S. dayi IT07
    |--S. etruscus B78
    |--S. fellowesgordoni B78
    |--S. hosei IT07
    |--S. infinitesimus [incl. S. chriseos] B78
    |--S. lixus IT07
    |--S. madagascariensis IT07
    |--S. malayanus IT07
    |--S. mertensi IT07
    |--S. montanus IT07
    |--S. murinus (Linné 1766) K92
    |    |--S. m. murinus B74
    |    `--S. m. tytleri B74
    |--S. remyi IT07
    |--S. stoliczkanus IT07
    |--S. varilla [incl. S. orangiae] B78
    `--S. zeylanicus IT07

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B74] Bugge, J. 1974. The cephalic arterial system in insectivores, primates, rodents and lagomorphs, with special reference to the systematic classification. Acta Anatomica 87 (Suppl 62): 1-160.

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

[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.

[K92] Klompen, J. S. H. 1992. Phylogenetic relationships in the mite family Sarcoptidae (Acari: Astigmata). Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 180: i-vi, 1-154.

Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World vol. 2. JHU Press.