Brown tooth shrews
| Brown tooth shrews | ||||||||||||
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| Episoriculus | ||||||||||||
| Ellerman & Morrison-Scott , 1951 |
The brown tooth shrew ( Episoriculus ) is a largely unknown genus of mammals from the shrew family (Soricidae). The four species of this genus are common in Asia.
features
These shrews are characterized by a slender physique, a long tail (which is approximately the same length as the body) and small claws on the front paws. Together with some skull features, these features distinguish it from the Sikkim large-clawed shrew ( Soriculus nigrescens ).
With a head body length of 45 to 70 millimeters and a weight of 4 to 7 grams, the four species of the genus are comparatively small representatives of the shrews.
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life of the brown tooth shrews. The habitat of these animals are moist forest and scrublands. Their diet consists of insects , earthworms and other invertebrates, but sometimes they also eat small mammals . Once or twice a year the female gives birth to an average of five young.
Systematics
In some classifications, the brown-toothed shrews are considered a sub-genus of Soriculus , but more recent works such as Wilson & Reeder (2005) list them as an independent genus. This division is justified with the smaller dimensions and the smaller front claws.
There are four types:
- the Hodgson's brown-toothed shrew ( Episoriculus caudatus ) is widespread from the Kashmir region and southern China to northern Myanmar .
- the Taiwanese brown-toothed shrew ( Episoriculus fumidus ) is endemic to Taiwan .
- the long-tailed brown-toothed shrew ( Episoriculus leucops ) occurs from Nepal and northern India to northern Vietnam .
- the small brown-toothed shrew ( Episoriculus macrurus ) is widespread from Nepal and southern China to Vietnam.
None of the four species are considered endangered according to the IUCN .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- Robert S. Hoffmann, Darrin Lunde: Episoriculus. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 310 ff.
Web links
supporting documents
- ^ Robert S. Hoffmann, Darrin Lunde: Episoriculus. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 310.