Soricidae G. Fischer 1814

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Soricomorpha, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 220-311 : 223

Soricidae G. Fischer 1814

Soricidae G. Fischer 1814 , Zoognosia Tabulis Synopticis Illustrata, Vol. 3: x.

Synonyms: Sorexineae Lesson 1842 ; Soricinorum G. Fischer 1814 .

Genera: 26 genera with 376 species in 3 subfamilies and 6 tribes:

Subfamily Crocidurinae Milne-Edwards 1872

Genus Crocidura Wagler 1832 (172 species with 56 subspecies)

Genus Diplomesodon Brandt 1852 (1 species)

Genus Feroculus Kelaart 1852 (1 species)

Genus Paracrocidura Heim de Balsac 1956 (3 species)

Genus Ruwenzorisorex Hutterer 1986 (1 species)

Genus Scutisorex Thomas 1913 (1 species)

Genus Solisorex Thomas 1924 (1 species)

Genus Suncus Ehrenberg 1832 (18 species with 2 subspecies)

Genus Sylvisorex Thomas 1904 (12 species with 4 subspecies)

Subfamily Myosoricinae Kretzoi 1965

Genus Congosorex Heim de Balsac and Lamotte 1956 (2 species)

Genus Myosorex Gray 1837 (14 species with 2 subspecies)

Genus Surdisorex Thomas 1906 (2 species)

Subfamily Soricinae G. Fischer 1814

Tribe Anourosoricini Anderson 1879

Genus Anourosorex Milne-Edwards 1872 (4 species)

Tribe Blarinellini Reumer 1998

Genus Blarinella Thomas 1911 (3 species)

Tribe Blarinini Kretzoi 1965

Genus Blarina Gray 1837 (4 species with 16 subspecies)

Genus Cryptotis Pomel 1848 (30 species with 7 subspecies)

Tribe Nectogalini Anderson 1879

Genus Chimarrogale Anderson 1877 (6 species)

Genus Chodsigoa Kastchenko 1907 (8 species with 3 subspecies)

Genus Episoriculus Ellermann and Morrison-Scott 1966 (4 species with 5 subspecies)

Genus Nectogale Milne-Edwards 1870 (1 species)

Genus Neomys Kaup 1829 (3 species)

Genus Nesiotites Bate 1945 (2 species)

Genus Soriculus Blyth 1854 (1 species with 2 subspecies)

Tribe Notiosoricini Reumer 1984

Genus Megasorex Hibbard 1950 (1 species)

Genus Notiosorex Coues 1877 (4 species)

Tribe Soricini G. Fischer 1814

Genus Sorex Linnaeus 1758 (77 species with 92 subspecies)

Discussion: Shrews form a coherent group which leaves little doubt about its monophyly. One problem still under discussion is the inclusion or exclusion of the extinct Heterosoricinae Viret and Zapfe, 1951. Many authors include them in Soricidae as a subfamily ( Engesser, 1975; Jammot, 1983; McKenna and Bell, 1997; Repenning, 1967; Storch and Qiu, 1991; Storch et al., 1998), others prefer family level for the Heterosoricinae ( Harris, 1998; Reumer, 1987, 1998; Rzebik-Kowalska, 1998). If one compares the concepts expressed by Repenning (1967), Gureev (1971, 1979), Jammot (1983), George (1983), Reumer (1987, 1998), or Hutterer et al. (2002 b), the subfamiliar and tribal subdivision of the Soricidae is not well resolved. Here I adopt a slightly modified system which is principally based on Reumer (1998). A strict phylogenetic classification however could include all extant shrews within a subfamily Soricinae , with Crocidurini, Myosoricini , and Soricini as tribes (Hutterer et al., 2002 b; Stanley and Hutterer, 2000). Recognition of these three clades is supported by allozyme data ( Maddalena and Bronner, 1992) and by RNA sequence data (Querouil et al., 2001). Yet, for practical reasons, I retain these clades at the subfamily level and use tribal subdivisions where appropriate. Lopatin (2002) recently named another new subfamily Soricolestinae for "the earliest and most primitive shrew" from the Middle Eocene of Mongolia.

Family-wide reviews are available on natural history ( Churchfield, 1990), hair structure ( Ducommun et al., 1994), external morphology ( Hutterer, 1985), dental adaptations ( Dannelid, 1998), and chromosomal evolution ( Zima et al., 1998), protein evolution (Ruedi, 1998), life histories and energetic strategies ( Innes, 1994; Taylor, 1998), and social systems ( Rychlik, 1998). Congress volumes of interest covering a wide array of aspects include Findley and Yates (1991), Merritt et al. (1994), Zima et al. (1994), Hanski and Pankakoski (1998), and Wojcik and Wolsan (1998). Conservation aspects are dealt with in the IUCN action plans for Africa ( Nicoll and Rathbun, 1990) and Eurasia ( Stone, 1995). All African shrew species were re-assessed in January 2004 at a Global Mammal Assessment workshop in London, resulting in new IUCN ratings for many species. For the most current conservation status, the reader should consult the IUCN website (www.redlist.org).

The fossil history of shrews was reviewed by Repenning (1967) and Reumer (1994, 1995); excellent regional reviews cover Africa ( Butler, 1998), Asia ( Storch et al., 1998), Europe ( Rzebik-Kowalska, 1998), and North America ( Harris, 1998; see also Hutchison and Harington, 2002). Asher et al. (2002) convincingly identified the Eocene Parapternodontidae as the sister taxon of the Soricidae . Some genetic studies suggest a closer relationship of shrews to bats (e.g., Narita et al., 2001), but these studies did not include relevant fossil taxa identified by Asher et al. (2002). The earliest remains of shrews are known from the Eocene of North America ( Harris, 1998), Oligocene of Eurasia ( Rzebik-Kowalska, 1998; Storch et al., 1998), and Miocene of Africa ( Butler, 1998). Presumedly older taxa such as Cretasorex (Nesov and Gureev, 1981) from the Upper Cretaceous of Uzbekistan and Ernosorex ( Wang and Li, 1990) from the Eocene of China were assigned to this family, but the first was probably based on a contaminant ( Nessov et al., 1994), and the second subsequently transferred to the family Changlelestidae ( Tong and Wang, 1993) . Fossil shrews are known from the High Arctic in the north ( Hutchison and Harington, 2002) to South Africa in the south ( Butler, 1998). The fossil and recent diversity is highest in Africa, Eurasia, and North America, but northern South America and the Indomalayan Region also house a rich, though younger radiation.

Illustrated textbooks or reviews are available for a number of larger geographical units, such as North America ( Hall, 1981; Wilson and Ruff, 1999), Europe ( Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999; Niethammer and Krapp, 1990), Russia ( Nesterenko, 1999; Yudin, 1989), Japan (Imaizumi, 1970), Arabia and Asia Minor ( Harrison and Bates, 1991; Kryštufek and Vohralík, 2001), Pakistan (Roberts, 1997), the Indomalayan Region ( Corbet and Hill, 1992), or southern Africa ( Mills and Hes, 1997; Smithers, 1983). Sources for common names are Wolsan and Hutterer (1998) and Wilson and Cole (2000).