Lamulate shrew

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Lamulate shrew
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Soricidae
Genus: Chodsigoa
Species:
C. lamula
Binomial name
Chodsigoa lamula
(Thomas, 1912)
Lamulate Shrew area.png
Lamulate shrew range

The lamulate shrew (Chodsigoa lamula) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to China.

Contents

Taxonomy

Chodsigoa lamula was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1912, based on a specimen collected the year before by G. Fenwick Owen. The type locality was "40 miles south-east of Tao-chou" in Gansu, China, at an altitude of 9,500 feet (2,900 m). [2] Later analysis by Allen (1938) considered it a subspecies of Chodsigoa hypsibia . It remained that way until Hoffman (1985) reclassified it yet again as a full species based on its smaller size and overlapping distribution with C. hypsibia. In the same work, he reanalyzed C. parva as a subspecies of C. lamula, though some later authors disagreed with this. [1] [3] [4] A 2017 genetic analysis, which looked at one specimen of C. lamula, found that C. lamula was genetically similar to C. hypsibia, and concluded that they may be the same species. [5]

Description

The lamulate shrew is very similar to Chodsigoa hypsibia, but is distinguished by its smaller size and flatter cranium. [6] [5] The fur is short and soft, with the back hairs about 3.5 millimetres (0.14 in) in length. It is mouse-grey and slightly paler on the bottom than top, with white hands and feed. The tail is greyish above and glossy whiteish below. [2]

The type specimen measured 67 millimetres (2.6 in) in head and body length, with a 54 millimetres (2.1 in) tail and 13 millimetres (0.51 in) hind feet. The tail is shorter than other species in the genus. [2]

Distribution, ecology, and conservation status

The lamulate shrew is found in central southern China and inhabits high elevation montane forests, at approximately 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). [6] A 2023 field survey in the forests of Mt. Liangshan, Sinchuan Province, recorded lamulate shrews only in secondary forests. [7]

It is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN due to its presumed wide range and large population, though little is known for certain about the population and distribution. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Johnston, C.; Smith, A.T. (2016). "Chodsigoa lamula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41431A22291928. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41431A22291928.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Thomas, Oldfield; Thomas, Oldfield (1912). "On a collection of small mammals from the Tsin-ling Mountains, Central China, presented to Mr. G. Fenwick Owen to the National Museum". The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology. 10: 395–403.
  3. Hoffmann, Robert S. (1985). "A review of the genus Soriculus (Mammalia: Insectivora)". The journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. v.82: 459–481.
  4. "Chodsigoa lamula Thomas 1912 - Plazi TreatmentBank". treatment.plazi.org. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  5. 1 2 Chen, Zhong-Zheng; He, Kai; Huang, Cheng; Wan, Tao; Lin, Liang-Kong; Liu, Shao-Ying; Jiang, Xue-Long (2017-07-01). "Integrative systematic analyses of the genus Chodsigoa (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), with descriptions of new species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 180 (3): 694–713. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlw017. ISSN   0024-4082 . Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  6. 1 2 Hoffmann, Robert S.; Lunde, Darrin; MacKinnon, John; Wilson, Don E.; Wozencraft, W. Chris; Gemma, Federico; Sung, Wang; Smith, Andrew T.; Xie, Yan (2008). "Lamulate Shrew". A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press. ISBN   978-0-691-09984-2. JSTOR   j.ctt7rv2x . Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  7. He, Xingcheng; Wen, Zhixin; Zhang, Dejun; Yang, Qisen; Yin, Xudong; Chen, Xue; Ran, Jianghong (2023). "Low impact of forest conversion on biodiversity: Evidence from small mammals in contrasting forests of Mt. Liangshan". Ecosphere. 14 (6): –4570. doi:10.1002/ecs2.4570. ISSN   2150-8925 . Retrieved 2025-07-12.