| Ryukyu shrew | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Crocidura |
| Species: | C. orii |
| Binomial name | |
| Crocidura orii | |
 | |
| Ryukyu Shrew range | |
| Synonyms | |
Crocidura dsinezumi orii [2] (protonym) | |
The Ryukyu shrew (Crocidura orii), also known as Orii's shrew, [1] is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the Amami Islands of Japan. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Orii's shrew was first described, as a subspecies of the Dsinezumi shrew (Crocidura dsinezumi orii), by Kuroda Nagamichi in 1924; he named it after his collector, Orii Hyōjirō, who had provided the skin and skull of a single male from Amami Ōshima. [2] : 3 This type specimen, damaged during the initial trapping, [2] : 3 was destroyed by fire in 1945. [4] : 22 In their 1951 checklist, Ellerman and Morrison-Scott listed the shrew instead as a subspecies of the Greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula orii). [3] : 81 In 1961, after the recovery of a second individual from the stomach of a hime habu or Ryukyu Island pit viper (Ovophis okinavensis), Imaizumi Yoshinori elevated the shrew to species rank, based on morphological comparison with other species of Crocidura . [4] In 1998, after the study of five further specimens from Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima, Motokawa Masaharu [ja] confirmed this taxonomic treatment. [5]
The white-toothed shrews or Crocidurinae are one of three subfamilies of the shrew family Soricidae.
The lesser white-toothed shrew is a tiny shrew with a widespread distribution in Africa, Asia and Europe. Its preferred habitat is scrub and gardens and it feeds on insects, arachnids, worms, gastropods, newts and small rodents, though its diet usually varies according to the biotope where it lives. The closely related Asian lesser white-toothed shrew was once included in this species, but is now considered to be a separate species.
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. The name Crocidura means "woolly tail", because the tail of Crocidura species are covered in short hairs interspersed with longer ones.
The Dsinezumi shrew, also known as the Japanese white-toothed shrew, is a species of musk shrew found in Japan and on Korea's Jeju Island. It is widespread, and considered to be of "least concern" by the IUCN.
The Yanbaru whiskered bat(Myotis yanbarensis) is a species of vesper bat in the genus Myotis.
The Ryukyu long-tailed giant rat or Ryukyu rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only extant species in the genus Diplothrix. It is found only in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The Sulawesi shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the central and northern provinces of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is a fairly common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Sunda shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae found in Indonesia and Malaysia.
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 Sulawesi white-handed shrew or Temboan shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is a fairly common species and the population seems stable so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The Sicilian shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Sicily (Italy) and Gozo (Malta). Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland.
The Sado shrew is a subspecies of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Japan, and more specifically, the Japanese island of Sado. Although it is sometimes referred to as its own species, more recent scholarship identifies it as a subspecies of the Shinto shrew. However, there are significant morphological differences between the species.
The Shinto shrew is a species of shrew of the genus Sorex that lives only on the islands of Japan. It is a mole-like mammal with a pointed snout, very small ears, and a relatively long tail. Like most shrews, it is tiny, has poor eyesight, and a very good sense of hearing and smell which it uses to locate its prey, mainly insects.
The lesser Ryukyu shrew, or Watase's shrew is a common species of shrews that is endemic to Japan. It is often found living in bushes and grasslands along the river banks and in shrubs of lower elevations.
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 Ezo flying squirrel or Ezo-momonga is a subspecies of the Siberian flying squirrel. It is endemic to Hokkaidō, Japan, part of the region once known as Ezo. In the legends of the local Ainu, the Ezo flying squirrel or A-kamui is a tutelary deity of children. Together with the Ezo chipmunk and Ezo squirrel, it is one of the three sciurids found on the island, to the north of Blakiston's Line, each having its own particular ecological niche.
Orii Hyōjirō was a Japanese specimen collector of birds and mammals. At least a hundred new species and subspecies were described based on the type specimens he collected, a 2014 review putting the total, among taxa currently recognized, at 14 species and 41 subspecies of mammal, and 6 species and 68 subspecies of bird. The 7 mammal and 10 bird taxa named in honour of "Orii of the Orient", as he came to be known, include the Ryūkyū shrew and now-extinct Daitō varied tit.
Sokolov's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Vietnam.
