Cryptotis merus, Goldman, 1912

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Soricidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 332-551 : 429

95 .

Darien Small-eared Shrew

Cryptotis merus

French: Musaraigne du Darien / German: Darién-Kleinohrspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de orejas pequenas de Darien

Other common names: Darien Shrew

Taxonomy. Cryptotis merus Goldman, 1912 ,

“ from near head of Rio Limon (altitude 4,500 feet [= 1372 m]), Mount Pirri , east- ern Panama.”

Cryptotis merus was previously included in C. nigrescens but was validated as a distinct species by N. Woodman and R. M. Timm in 1993. It is included in the C. nigrescens group based on morphology, although genetic data are needed to clarify its position. Monotypic.

Distribution. Highlands along border of E Panama and NW Colombia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 66-73 mm, tail 24-31 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Darien Small-eared Shrew is mid-sized. Dorsum is dark glossy blackish brown, and venteris slightly paler dusky gray. Feet are small and slim, with tiny claws, and dusky in color. Tail is short (c.40% of head-body length), covered with short hair, and blackish brown. Eyes are diminutive, and ears are small and barely visible under fur. Skull has minute or absent foramen of tympanic process of petromastoid and large fourth unicuspid. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids.

Habitat. Pre-montane rainforest and lower montane rainforest life zones, including dense cloud forests with abundant epiphytes, at elevations of 1400-1500 m. Darien Small-eared Shrews were trapped under logs on steep banks of streams.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List (as C. mera). The Darien Small-eared Shrew has a very restricted distribution and is threatened mostly by deforestation and pesticides. It is found in the Darién National Park in Panama and can be common. Virtually nothing is known ofits natural history, and additional research is needed.

Bibliography. Choate (1970), Hutterer (2005b), Reid (2009), Woodman & Péfaur (2008), Woodman & Timm (1993), Woodman, Samudio & Pino (2008).

Figures

On following pages: 90. Grizzled Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis obscurus); 91. Phillips's Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis phillipsii); 92. Eastern Cordillera Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis brachyonyx); 93. Colombian Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis colombianus); 94. Honduran Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis hondurensis); 95. Darien Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis merus); 96. Blackish Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis nigrescens); 97. Lacandona Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis lacandonensis); 98. Yucatan Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis mayensis); 99. Merriam'’s Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis merriami); 100. Berlandier’s Least Shrew (Cryptotis berlandieri); 101. Central American Least Shrew (Cryptotis orophilus); 102. North American Least Shrew (Cryptotis parvus); 103. Puebla Least Shrew (Cryptotis pueblensis); 104. Mexican Least Shrew (Cryptotis soricinus); 105. Tropical Least Shrew (Cryptotis tropicalis); 106. Popocatepetl Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis alticola); 107. Goldman's Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis goldmani); 108. Oaxacan Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis peregrinus); 109. Talamancan Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis gracilis); 110. Santa Barbara Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis cavatorculus); 111. Celaque Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis celague); 112. Dark Mexican Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis griseoventris); 113. Omoa Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis mccarthy); 114. Muscular Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis lacertosus); 115. Honduran Broad-Clawed Shrew (Cryptotis magnimana); 116. Mam Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis mam); 117. Goodwin's Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis goodwini); 118. Highland Broad-clawed Shrew (Cryptotis oreoryctes); 119. Monteverde Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis monteverdensis); 120. Enders’s Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis endersi); 121. Aroa Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis aroensis); 122. Thomas's Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis thomasi); 123. Dinira Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis dinirensis), 124. Venezuelan Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis venezuelensis), 125. Merida Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis meridensis); 126. Tama Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis tamensis); 127. Perija Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis perijensis); 128. Medellin Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis medellinius); 129. Western Colombian Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis squamipes); 130. Ecuadorean Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis equatoris); 131. Osgood's Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis osgoodi); 132. Wandering Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis montivagus); 133. Blind Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis niausa); 134. Evaristo's Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis evaristoi); 135. Peruvian Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis peruviensis).

Distribution. Highlands along border of E Panama and NW Colombia.