Uropsilus nivatus, Allen, 1923

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Talpidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 52-619 : 598

6.

Snow Mountain Shrew Mole

Uropsilus nivatus

French: Taupe du Xue Shan / German: Yulong-Spitzmausmaulwurf / Spanish: Topo musarana de alta montana

Taxonomy. Rhynchonax andersoni niva- tus G. M. Allen, 1923 ,

“Ssu-shan [= Snow Mountain], Li-chiang [= Lijiang Range], western Yunnan, 12,000 feet [= 3658 m] altitude,” China.

Formerly included in U. gracilis , but recent molecular data supports its status as a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. SW China (NW Yunnan), restricted to region E of Salween River, adjacent to Lijiang, and N of Dali (Yulong Xueshan, Diancang Shan, Biluo Xueshan, Laojun Shan, and Gongshan County); possibly also in N Myanmar (= Burma).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 68-74 mm, tail 57-5—65 mm, ear 5-5-9 mm, hindfoot 12-14-5 mm; weight 5:9-7-5 g. Tail is 81-94-9% of head-body length. Snow Mountain Shrew Moleis likely similar to the Gracile Shrew Mole ( U. gracilis ), but there is no information about morphological details; the two species were never compared. Dental formulaisI2/1,C1/1,P 4/4, M 3/3 (x2) = 38. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FNa = 46, as reported from Laojun Mountain.

Habitat. Forests at elevations of 3000-3600 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Snow Mountain Shrew Moleis terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The [UCN Red List, where it is considered a synonym of U. gracilis , which is classified as Least Concern.

Bibliography. Allen (1938), Hoffmann (1984), Hutterer (2005a), Tu Feiyun et al. (2015), Wan Tao et al. (2013).

Figures

1. Equivalent-teeth Shrew Mole (Uropsilus aequodonenia), 2. Anderson’s Shrew Mole (Uropsilus andersont), 3. Gracile Shrew Mole (Uropsilus gracilis), 4. Inquisitive Shrew Mole (Uropsilus investigator), 5. Chinese Shrew Mole (Uropsilus soricipes), 6. Snow Mountain Shrew Mole (Uropsilus nivatus), 7. Black-backed Shrew Mole (Uropsilus atronates), 8. Gansu Mole (Scapanulus oweni), 9. Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri), 10. Coast Mole (Scapanus orarius), 11. Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsend), 12. Broad-footed Mole (Scapanus latimanus), 13. Mexican Mole (Scapanus anthonyi), 14. Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus), 15. Long-tailed Mole (Scaptonyx fusicauda), 16. Japanese Shrew Mole (Urotrichus talpoides), 17. True’s Shrew Mole (Dymecodon pilirostris), 18. American Shrew Mole (Neurotrichus gibbsi), 19. Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata), 20. Russian Desman (Desmana moschata), 21. Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus)

Distribution. SW China (NW Yunnan), restricted to region E of Salween River, adjacent to Lijiang, and N of Dali (Yulong Xueshan, Diancang Shan, Biluo Xueshan, Laojun Shan, and Gongshan County); possibly also in N Myanmar (= Burma).