Chinese highland shrew
| Chinese highland shrew | ||||||||||||
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| Sorex excelsus | ||||||||||||
| GM Allen , 1923 |
The Chinese highland shrew ( Sorex excelsus ) is a species of shrew from the genus of the red -toothed shrew ( Sorex ). It occurs in the highlands of Central China in the provinces of Yunnan , Sichuan , Xizang and Qinghai as well as in neighboring Nepal up to an altitude of 4000 meters.
features
With a head-torso length of 6 to 7.3 centimeters and a weight of around 5 to 10 grams, the Chinese highland shrew is one of the medium-sized shrew species. The tail reaches a length of 44 to 51 millimeters and is thus shorter than the rest of the body, the rear foot is 13 to 16 millimeters long. The back color is brown, the sides are sand-colored brown and the belly side is gray, whereby the belly and back sides are clearly colored differently. The tail is sharply separated in color between a brown upper side and a white lower side. The feet are white to silver gray.
| 1 | · | 5 | · | 1 | · | 3 | = 32 |
| 1 | · | 1 | · | 1 | · | 3 |
The skull has a total length of 18 to 20 millimeters and a width of 8.6 to 9.1 millimeters with a narrow rostrum (snout region). As most species of the genus has the type in the maxilla per half an incisor (incisor) and then five unicuspid teeth, a Vorbackenzahn (premolar) and three molars (molar). In the lower jaw, however, it has a single canine behind the incisor. Overall, the animals have a set of 32 teeth. The tooth roots are colored red as in most red-toothed shrews. The first two single-pointed teeth of the upper jaw are about the same size and larger than the third and fourth, which are also about the same size. S. excelsus differs from the very similar S. asper , S. araneus and S. tundrensis in the proportions of the single-pointed teeth; the size of the teeth corresponds roughly to those of S. tundrensis .
distribution
The Chinese highland shrew occurs in the highlands of central China in the provinces of Yunnan , Sichuan , Xizang and Qinghai as well as in neighboring Nepal up to an altitude of 4000 meters. In Nepal, the species has so far only been confirmed in Khumjung near the Chinese border.
Way of life
As is the case with many species of the genus, only little data is available on the way of life of this species. The Chinese highland shrew is only known from the high mountains of mountain forest areas and, like Sorex cansulus or Sorex asper, is a high mountain specialist . She lives in forest areas and was in southern Qinghai found along streams with gebüschigen banks and moist soil.
Like all shrews, this species feeds on invertebrates, especially insects. There are no observations on reproduction.
Systematics
The Chinese highland shrew is classified as an independent species within the genus of the red -toothed shrew ( Sorex ), which consists of around 80 species. The first scientific description comes from GM Allen from 1923, who described an individual from the area around Shangri-La in Yunnan Province from an altitude of almost 4,000 meters. The species was partially assigned to S. araneus as a subspecies. Within the genus, the species of the subgenus Sorex is classified and assigned to the S. tundrensis group, although they are not genetically closely related.
Apart from the nominate form Sorex excelsus excelsus, no further subspecies are distinguished within the species .
Threat and protection
The Chinese highland shrew is classified as not endangered (least concern) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) despite rare sightings due to its relatively large distribution area and the assumed large populations. There are no known threats to the company's existence.
literature
- Robert S. Hoffmann, Darrin Lunde: Chinese Highland Shrew. 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. 316.
Web links
- Sorex excelsus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g Robert S. Hoffmann, Darrin Lunde: Chinese Highland Shrew. 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. 316.
- ↑ a b c d Sorex excelsus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ a b c d Sorex excelsus . In: 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 .