Crocidura [1] Temporal range: | |
---|---|
Greater white-toothed shrew, C. russula | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Eulipotyphla |
Family: | Soricidae |
Subfamily: | Crocidurinae |
Genus: | Crocidura Wagler, 1832 |
Type species | |
Sorex leucodon [2] (Hermann, 1780) | |
Species | |
See text. |
The genus Crocidura is one of nine genera of the shrew subfamily Crocidurinae. Members of the genus are commonly called white-toothed shrews or musk shrews, although both also apply to all of the species in the subfamily. With over 180 species, Crocidura contains the most species of any mammal genus. [3] The name Crocidura means "woolly tail", because the tail of Crocidura species are covered in short hairs interspersed with longer ones. [4]
They are found throughout all tropical and temperate regions of the Old World, from South Africa north to Europe, and east throughout Asia, as far east as the Malay Archipelago. One species, the possibly extinct Christmas Island shrew (C. trichura), also inhabited Christmas Island. They likely originated in Africa or Asia Minor during the Miocene, spread to Europe by the early Pliocene, and spread to eastern Asia and the Mediterranean by the Pleistocene. [5] [6]
A significant diversity of extinct Crocidura species is known from the early-mid Pleistocene of Morocco, but by the majority of these species went extinct between the Middle to Late Pleistocene boundary, and were replaced by modern species. [17] Indeterminate Crocidura remains are known from the Miocene-aged rocks in the Potwar Plateau of Pakistan, concurrent with fossils from the Shivalik Fossil Beds. [19]
Crocidura shrews were embalmed in Ancient Egypt, being associated with the dark aspect of the god Horus. Many of these mummies have been uncovered during excavations at the Falcon Necropolis, providing important information about the former diversity of shrews in this area. [16]
The white-toothed shrews or Crocidurinae are one of three subfamilies of the shrew family Soricidae.
The Cyrenaica shrew or Alexander's shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew in the family Soricidae which is endemic to Libya.
The black-footed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to northern and central Sulawesi, Indonesia where it lives on the floor of the tropical forests. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The African giant shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew. It also is known as, Mann's musk shrew, Euchareena's musk shrew, or Olivier's shrew. It is native to Africa, where it has a widespread distribution and occurs in many types of habitat. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, dry savanna, moist savanna, arable land, rural gardens, urban areas, and heavily degraded former forest. In the Nile Valley it is found near human habitation, where it is considered to be a pest. It is a common species and is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of "least concern".
The Cretan shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Crete, Greece. Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland, and the animal is threatened by habitat loss. It is found in the mountainous highlands of Crete, having been displaced from lower altitudes by the lesser white-toothed shrew.
Asoriculus is an extinct genus of terrestrial shrews in the subfamily Soricinae and tribe Nectogalini, native to Europe and North Africa.
Crocidura hikmiya is a species of shrew described from the rainforests of Sri Lanka, based on both morphological and molecular data. Its closest sister species is the Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew, another Sri Lankan crocidurine shrew restricted to the high-elevation habitats of the Central Highlands. C. hikmiya has a shorter tail than the Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew. Most of the other characteristics that distinguish the two species are osteological natured .
Crocidura phanluongi is a species of shrew in the genus Crocidura from southern Vietnam and nearby Cambodia. It is a somewhat small, gray shrew with an ecologically diverse distribution.
The Chinese white-toothed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae.
The Taiwanese gray shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. Previously believed to be endemic to Taiwan, it is now also known to occur in Vietnam.
Crocidura sapaensis is a species of white-toothed shrew native to northern Vietnam. It was first described in 2013 and its specific name derives from the Sa Pa where it was discovered.
Crocidura kegoensis, also known as the Ke Go shrew or Ke Go white-toothed shrew, is a species of shrew in the genus Crocidura described in 2004. It is smaller than other Crocidura species known from Vietnam, brownish-grey in colour with black markings on the muzzle. Its hair is short. The holotype was found in the Ke Go Nature Reserve, in Vietnam's Ha Tinh province, at an altitude of about 200 m.
The Indochinese shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew native to Southeast Asia. It was first identified in 1922 by Herbert C. Robinson and C. Boden Kloss. The species is often taxonomized as a subspecies Horsfield's shrew, but bears a different range, occurring in Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Yunnan province of China.
The Phu Hoc shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew native to the island of Phú Quốc, Vietnam. The species was first described by Abramov et al. in 2008. The species' haplogroup is most closely related to the Southeast Asian shrew and C. dracula.
The Javan hidden shrew or Javan long-tailed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Java in Indonesia.
The Fingui white-toothed shrew or Principe white-toothed shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Crocidura kornfeldi is an extinct species of shrew that inhabited Central and Southern Europe between the Pliocene and Pleistocene. It is the first species of the widespread, extremely speciose genus Crocidura known with certainty to have colonized Europe. It is a widespread, well-documented species, with fossils known from Spain, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Crimea.
The Dracula shrew, also known as the large white-toothed shrew, is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Vietnam, Laos, and adjacent southern China, with possible range extension into Cambodia east of the Mekong River. Because it is so visually similar to the Southeast Asian shrew, it has historically been considered part of the same species complex and the range delineation between the two species is still being resolved. Recent genetic evidence strongly supports that the Dracula shrew is in fact a uniquely diverged species.
Sokolov's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Vietnam.
Mikhail Zaitsev's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Vietnam.
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