Crocidura rapax, G. M. Allen, 1923
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870148 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A072-871E-FFFB-A96810D5F521 |
treatment provided by |
Felipe |
scientific name |
Crocidura rapax |
status |
|
Chinese White-toothed Shrew
French: Crocidure rapace / German: China-WeiRzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de China
Taxonomy. Crocidura rapax G. M. Allen, 1923 View in CoL ,
Yinpankai , Mekong River , Yunnan, China, Yunnan.
Previously included in C. russula , which is mainly distributed in Europe, or C. pullata of the west Himalaya. Currently recognized as a distinct species based on morphometric comparison. The races from Taiwan appear to form a sister group of C. lasiura of South Korea, but the mainland nominate race has not been involved
in any molecular study; thus, it remains unclear whether the forms from Hainan, Taiwan and offshore islands are conspecific with the one from mainland China; a comprehensive revision is warranted. Four subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
C. r rapax G. M. Allen, 1923 — S China including the mainland (Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi) and Hainan I, adjacent N Myanmar, NE India (Meghalaya, but exact locality not known), and S Vietnam. It might have a larger range than currently recognized.
C.r.kurodaiJameson&G.S.Jones,1977—Taiwan1
C.r.lutaoensisFangYinping&LeeLingling,2002—GreenI(Lutao),offSETaiwanI.
C. r. tadae Tokuda & Kano, 1936 — Orchid I (Lanyu), off SE Taiwan I. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Measurements from the mainland: head-body 56-70 mm, tail 38-47 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condyloincisive length 17-5-18-3 mm, tooth row 7-1-8-1 mm. The Chinese White-toothed Shrew is a medium-sized shrew. Animals from Taiwan and Lutao (but not Lanyu) have longer tails (41-59 mm). Dorsal pelage brown, ventral pelage pale gray-brown. Tail length range is 63%—-69% of the head-body;tail is faintly bicolored, brown above, pale below; long bristle hair extends along 50% of proximal portion oftail. Skull with angular superior articular facets, fairly well developed lamboidal crests, and deep, slightly inflated mastoids. Upper incisors hook-like, projecting anteriorly. First upper unicuspid is large and high, twice as long as the second. Protocone of premolar posterior to the paracone in lateral view, posterolingual border rounded and concave such that it exposes a moderately deep crescent of bone. Buccal lophs of M* terminate continuously so that they form a continuous W-shaped loph in unworn dentition. A welldeveloped talonid is present on M,. Posterolingual cuspid absent on P,. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 40 and FN = 56.
Habitat. On Taiwan and the offshore islands, it is distributed from sea level to up to 2000 m. It occurs in bamboo groves, secondary broadleaf forest, and conifer forest, as well as orchards, but it prefers conifer forest with higher ground coverage offallen logs, and avoids rocky broad-leaved forest with high proportions of open areas.
Food and Feeding. The Chinese White-toothed Shrew is insectivorous. Diet reported to include Orthoptera (Rhaphidophoridae) , Coleoptera ( Staphylinidae , Carabidae ), Hymenoptera (Formicidae) , Dermaptera, Hemiptera, and Lepidoptera .
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. Terrestrial.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Last. Its distribution and abundance in the mainland is not entirely clear. The Chinese White-toothed Shrew presumably has a large population in southern China and Vietnam. Population is likely to be stable in Taiwan.
Bibliography. Allen (1923), Fang Yinping & Lee Lingling (2002), Jenkins et al. (2009), Jiang Xuelong & Hoffmann (2001), Lin Liangkong & Motokawa (2014).
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.