Sclater shrew

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Sclater shrew
Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Insect eater (Eulipotyphla)
Family : Shrews (Soricidae)
Subfamily : Soricinae
Genre : Red-toothed shrews ( Sorex )
Type : Sclater shrew
Scientific name
Sorex sclateri
Merriam , 1897

The Sclater shrew ( Sorex sclateri ) is a rare species of shrew from the genus of the red- toothed shrew ( Sorex ). Together with the Salvin shrew ( Sorex salvini ), the San Cristobal shrew ( Sorex cristobalensis ), the McCarthy shrew ( Sorex mccarthyi ) and the light-toothed shrew ( Sorex stizodon ), it forms the Sorex salvini species group. The species epithet honors the British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater .

features

The head-trunk length is 68 to 73 mm, the tail length 52 to 53 mm, the ear length 5 to 7 mm, the rear foot length 15 to 16 mm and the weight 7 g. The dark brown fur on the back is mottled sepia-brown. The peritoneum is lighter brown. The hips and rump have black outer hairs that protrude 1.7 mm to 1.9 mm above the dorsal fur. The tail is approximately three quarters of the length of the head and torso. It is slightly two-tone, dark brown on the top and a little lighter on the bottom.

The Sclater shrew has a relatively less elevated skull and a longer lower jaw than the other representatives of the Sorex – salvini species group. The dentition consists of 32 teeth with the following dental formula : . The incisors (I1) have three denticles , flat spaces, a pigment consisting of two sections, a long strip of pigment on the front inner edge, and a central spike above the pigment. There are five tooth cusps. The first and second are the largest. The third cusp is the same size or slightly larger than the fourth. The fifth is tiny. The teeth are pigmented dark red.

distribution

The Sclater shrew is only known from the two distant places Tumbala and San Antonio Buenavista in the Mexican state of Chiapas .

Habitat and way of life

The Sclater shrew inhabits cloud forests and pine forests at altitudes of 1500 to 1700 m. Diet details are not known. Presumably, similar to other species from the genus of the red-toothed shrew, it feeds on grasshoppers, grasshoppers, beetles, two-winged birds and their larvae, spiders, carrion and occasionally plant material, including mosses and seeds. The gestation period is likely to be 2.5 to 4 weeks.

Threat and protection

The Sclater shrew is classified by the IUCN in the “ critically endangered ” category . It is mainly threatened by habitat loss due to urbanization from the expansion of the agricultural area. The area of ​​the distribution area is less than 100 km². The necessary living space in the region has shrunk by 15 to 22 percent over a period of ten years.

literature

  • Leslie N. Carraway: Shrews (Eulypotyphla: Soricidae) Of Mexico Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist 3 (1), 2007, pp. 1-91. doi : 10.3398 / 1545-0228-3.1.1
  • Gerardo Ceballos : Mammals of Mexico . Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1421408439 . Pp. 484-485
  • JO Matson & N. Ordóñez-Garza: The taxonomic status of Long-tailed shrews (Mammalia: genus Sorex) from Nuclear Central America. Zootaxa, 4236 (3), 2017, pp. 461-483. doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.4236.3.3
  • Connor Burgin, Rudolf Haslauer, Kai He, Arlo Himckey, Stefan Hintsche, Rainer Hutterer , Paulina D. Jenkins , Masaharu Motokawa, Manuel Ruedi , Boris Sheftel and Neal Woodman : Soricidae (Shrews). Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths, Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4 , p. 408

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