Soriculus nigrescens (Gray, 1910)

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 : 451-452

161.

Himalayan Shrew

Soriculus nigrescens

French: Musaraigne de |'Himalaya / German: Sikkim-GrofRRklauenspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana del Himalaya

Other common names: Sikkim Large-clawed Shrew

Taxonomy. Corsira nigrescens Gray, 1842 ,

“ India.”

Soriculus is currently monotypic. Episoriculus and Chodsigoa were included in Soriculus as subgenera but are generally accepted as full genera. Notably, although Soriculus

is monotypic, it might still contain undescribed species based on molecular studies. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

S.n.nigrescensGray,1842—NW&NEIndia(Uttarakhand,WestBengal,andSikkim)andNepal.

S. n. minor Dobson, 1890 — Bhutan, NE India, SW China (S Tibet [= Xizang] and NW Yunnan, W of the Salween River), and adjacent N Myanmar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 70-94 mm, tail 32-50 mm, hindfoot 12-17 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive lengths are 19-7-23-8 mm, and tooth rows are 8:8-10-7 mm. Dorsum of the Himalayan Shrew is dust in color. Forefeet and claws are enlarged and larger than hindfeet, indicating digging ability. Tail is ¢.50% of head—body length. Ears are small and hidden under fur. Skull is bony, and braincase is low. Low talon (posterior cusp) of I' and first upper unicuspid are similar in height. Second upper unicuspid is the largest. M, is tiny. Pigmentation on teeth is very light and,if present, only occurs on tips of teeth. Dental formula is I 3/2, C1/0,P2/1,M 3/3 (x2) = 30. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 64 and FNa = 86 + XY for specimens from Gandaki, Nepal.

Habitat. Mixed deciduous-coniferous forest, conifer-rhododendron forest, above timberline in alpine zone, and open rocky areas at elevations of 1000-4300 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Himalayan Shrew primarily contains insects (beetles, flies, and bees) and earthworms.

Breeding. The Himalayan Shrew reportedly has two breeding seasons, a primary one in June-July and a secondary one in August-October. Litters have 3-9 young (average six in spring and 4-5 in autumn).

Activity patterns. The Himalayan Shrew occurs aboveground and underground. Based on its morphology, it is semi-fossorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. In South Asia, major threats faced by the Himalayan Shrew are habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and human settlements. It is known from a few specimens in south-western China, but population size is likely large in Nepal, based on large collections in museums.

Bibliography. Hoffmann (1985), Motokawa (2003a), Motokawa et al. (2008), Smith & Yan Xie (2008).

Figures

136. Elliot’s Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina hulophaga), 137. Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicaudus), 138. Southern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina carolinensis), 139. Everglades Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina peninsulae), 140. Sherman’s Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina shermani), 141. Sichuan Short-tailed Shrew (Blarinella quadraticauda), 142. Burmese Short-tailed Shrew (Blarinella wardi), 143. Indochinese Short-tailed Shrew (Blarinella griselda), 144. Chinese Mole Shrew (Anourosorex squamaipes), 145. Taiwanese Mole Shrew (Anowrosorex yamashinai), 146. Assam Mole Shrew (Anowrosorex assamensis), 147. Giant Mole Shrew (Anourosorex schmid), 148. Desert Gray Shrew (Notiosorex crawfordi), 149. Cockrum’s Gray Shrew (Notiosorex cockrumi), 150. Large-eared Gray Shrew (Notiosorex evolis), 151. Villa’s Gray Shrew (Notiosorex villa), 152. Mexican Shrew (Megasorex gigas), 153. Taiwanese Brown-toothed (Shrew Epusoriculusfumidus), 154. Arboreal Brown-toothed Shrew (Episoriculus macrurus), 155. Bailey's Brown-toothed Shrew (Episoriculus baileyi), 156. Long-tailed Brown-toothed Shrew (Episoriculus leucops), 157. Hodgson’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Episoriculus caudatus), 158. Sichuan Brown-toothed Shrew (Episoriculus sacratus), 159. Hidden Brown-toothed Shrew (Episoriculus umbrinus), 160. Nepalese Brown-toothed Shrew (Episoriculus soluensis), 161. Himalayan Shrew (Soriculus nigrescens), 162. De Winton’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa hypsibia), 163. Pygmy Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa parva), 164. Smith’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa smithii), 165. Salenski’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa salenskii), 166. Dusky Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa furva), 167. Lesser Taiwanese Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa sodalis), 168. Van Sung’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa caovansunga), 169. Hoffmann’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa hoffmanni), 170. Lowe’s Brown-toothed Shrew (Chodsigoa parca), 171. Bornean Water Shrew (Chimarrogale phaeura), 172. Sumatran Water Shrew (Chimarrogale sumatrana), 173. Malayan Water Shrew (Chimarrogale hantu), 174. Chinese Water Shrew (Chimarrogale styani), 175. Himalayan Water Shrew (Chimarrogale himalayica), 176. Leander’s Water Shrew (Chimarrogale leander), 177. Japanese Water Shrew (Chimarrogale platycephala), 178. Elegant Water Shrew (Nectogale elegans), 179. Mediterranean Water Shrew (Neomys anomalus), 180. Transcaucasian Water (Shrew Neomysteres), 181. Eurasian Water Shrew (Neomys fodiens)

Subspecies and Distribution. S.n.nigrescensGray,1842—NW&NEIndia(Uttarakhand,WestBengal,andSikkim)andNepal. S. n. minor Dobson, 1890 — Bhutan, NE India, SW China (S Tibet [= Xizang] and NW Yunnan, W of the Salween River), and adjacent N Myanmar.