Sorex

Pygmy shrew Sorex minutus, photographed by Pavluvčík.

Belongs within: Soricidae.

Sorex, the long-tailed shrews, is a genus found in most of the temperate and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, predominately in moist habitats (Nowak 1999). The common shrew Sorex araneus is widespread in northern Europe and northwestern Asia.

Characters (from Nowak 1999): Head and body length 46-100 mm, tail length 25-82 mm, adult weight 2.1-18.0 g. Tail a third to more than half of total length, hairy in the young, naked in old adults. Fur sleek; pelage uni-, bi- or tricoloured, colours varying from tan to black. Body slender; snout long, slender, highly movable, with conspicuous vibrissae. Eyes minute but visible; ears usually projecting slightly above pelage. Five upper unicuspid teeth present, with tips coloured brownish to purplish. Females with three or four pairs of mammae.

<==Sorex Linnaeus 1758 P04 (see below for synonymy)
    |--S. alpinus IT07
    |--S. araneus Linnaeus 1758 KJ08
    |    |--S. a. araneus FK55
    |    `--S. a. tetragonurus Hermann 1780 FK55
    |--S. arcticus B75
    |    |--S. a. arcticus B75
    |    `--S. a. laricorum Jackson 1925 B75
    |--S. arizonae IT07
    |--S. asper IT07
    |--S. bairdii IT07
    |--S. bendirii IT07
    |--S. buchariensis IT07
    |--S. caecutiens IT07
    |--S. cansulus IT07
    |--S. cinereus ANG03
    |    |--S. c. cinereus B75
    |    |--S. c. haydeni Baird 1858 B75
    |    `--S. c. leseurii B75
    |--S. coronatus IT07
    |--S. crassicaudatus T66
    |--S. daphaenodon IT07
    |--S. dispar IT07
    |--S. emarginatus Jackson 1925 MB86
    |--S. excelsus IT07
    |--S. fumeus IT07
    |--S. gaspensis BP87
    |--S. granarius IT07
    |--S. hosonoi Imaizumi 1954 I92
    |    |--S. h. hosonoi I92
    |    `--S. h. shiroumanus Imaizumi 1954 I92
    |--S. isodon IT07
    |--S. jacksoni IT07
    |--S. juncensis BP87
    |--S. kizlovi IT07
    |--S. leucogaster IT07
    |--S. longirostris IT07
    |    |--S. l. longirostris BP87
    |    `--S. l. fischeri BP87
    |--S. lyelli BP87
    |--S. merriami IT07
    |--S. milleri BP87
    |--S. minutissimus I92
    |    |--S. m. minutissimus I92
    |    |--S. m. gracillimus I92
    |    `--S. m. hawkeri Thomas 1906 I92
    |--S. minutus Linnaeus 1766 KJ08
    |--S. mirabilis IT07
    |--S. monticolus IT07
    |--S. nanus IT07
    |--S. oreopolus G69
    |    |--S. o. oreopolus G69
    |    `--S. o. ventralis G69
    |--S. ornatus IT07
    |--S. pacificus IT07
    |--S. palustris ANG03
    |    |--S. p. palustris B75
    |    `--S. p. hygrobadistes Jackson 1926 B75
    |--S. portenkoi IT07
    |--S. preblei IT07
    |--S. pribilofensis BP87
    |--S. pygmaeus T66
    |--S. raddei IT07
    |--S. roboratus IT07
    |--S. sadonis Yoshiyuki & Imaizumi 1986 I92
    |--S. samniticus IT07
    |--S. satunini IT07
    |--S. saussurei G69
    |    |--S. s. saussurei G69
    |    |--S. s. oaxacae G69
    |    `--S. s. veraecrucis G69
    |--S. sclateri BP87
    |--S. shinto IT07
    |--S. sinuosus BP87
    |--S. stizodon BP87
    |--S. sylvaticus CM07
    |--S. tenellus IT07
    |--S. trigonirostris BP87
    |--S. trowbridgii IT07
    |--S. tundrensis IT07
    |--S. ugyunak IT07
    |--S. unguiculatus IT07
    |--S. vagrans IT07
    |--S. veraepacis G69
    |    |--S. v. veraepacis G69
    |    `--S. v. mutabilis G69
    `--S. volnuchini IT07

Inorganic: Sorex minutissimus minilorientalus Okamura 1987 O87
           Sorex minutissimus protominilorientalus Okamura 1987 O87

Sorex Linnaeus 1758 P04 [incl. Atophyrax Merriam 1884 V67, Corsira Gray 1838 V67, Homalurus Schulze 1890 V67, Hydrogale Pomel 1848 non Kaup 1829 V67, Musaraneus Brisson 1762 V67, Neosorex Baird 1858 V67, Otisorex De Kay 1842 V67, Oxyrhin Kaup 1829 V67, Soricidus Altobello 1927 V67]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[ANG03] Asher, R. J., M. J. Novacek & J. H. Geisler. 2003. Relationships of endemic African mammals and their fossil relatives based on morphological and molecular evidence. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 10 (1–2): 131–194.

[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.

[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.

[I92] Iwahashi, J. (ed.) 1992. Reddo Deeta Animaruzu: a pictorial of Japanese fauna facing extinction. JICC: Tokyo.

[KJ08] Krämer, M. & M. Jentzsch. 2008. Kleinsäuger-Vorkommen aus dem Raum Zeitz—eine vergleichende Studie. Mauritiana 20 (2): 411–427.

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

Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed., vol. 1. John Hopkins University Press.

[O87] Okamura, C. 1987. New facts: Homo and all Vertebrata were born simultaneously in the former Paleozoic in Japan. Original Report of the Okamura Fossil Laboratory 15: 347–573.

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

[T66] Tristram, H. B. 1866. Report on the mammals of Palestine. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 84–93.

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