Cryptotis merus, Goldman, 1912
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6869785 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A00B-8767-FAFB-A8F01515F66F |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Cryptotis merus |
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95 View On .
Darien Small-eared Shrew
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. View Figure
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).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
