Blarina shermani (Hamilton, 1955)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6869882 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A01B-8777-FF26-A9171776F7AA |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Blarina shermani |
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Sherman’s Short-tailed Shrew
French: Musaraigne de Sherman / German: Sherman-Kurzschwanzspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarafa colicorta de Sherman
Taxonomy. Blarina brevicauda shermani Hamilton, 1955 View in CoL ,
“ two miles north of Fort Myers , Lee County, Florida,” USA.
Blarina sherman: is usually included as a subspecies of B. carolinensis , but R. A. Benedict and colleagues in 2006 recognized it as a distinct species based primarily on morphometrics. The same study also identified possible hybrids between B. shermani and B. peninsulae . Monotypic.
Distribution. Just N of Fort Myers S to near
Royal Palm, SW coast of Florida (SE USA). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 78-91 mm, tail 22-25 mm, hindfoot 13-5-15 mm; weight 11-1-17 g. Sherman’s Short-tailed Shrew is large, similar to the Southern Shorttailed Shrew ( B. carolinensis ) and the Everglades Short-tailed Shrew ( B. peninsulae ), but itis larger and slightly darker than both species. Pelage is short, soft, velvety, and molelike. Dorsal pelage is slate grayish black, with silvery tinge; ventral pelage is slightly paler. There is a bare patch of lightly colored skin around diminutive eyes. Ears are very small and completely concealed by fur; vibrissae are long and white. Tail is less than 30% of head-body length, hairy, and similar in color to dorsal pelage, with small tuft at end. Feet are short and broad, with long claws, and are paler than rest of body. Hindfeet are darker than forefeet. Females have three pairs of inguinal mammae. Characteristic of the genus, Sherman’s Short-tailed Shrew has five unicuspid teeth and significantly larger and angular skull than other shrews. All species of Blarina also have reddish teeth from iron deposits in their teeth.
Habitat. Grassy areas surrounding marshes and basins and mesic flatwood habitat.
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. Sherman’s Short-tailed Shrews are probably nocturnal and semi-fossorial, creating extensive tunnels or using tunnels of moles.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Sherman’s Short-tailed Shrew has a very restricted distribution and was considered possibly extinctforyears, although it is presumably common throughout its small distribution.
Bibliography. Benedict et al. (2006), Brant & Orti (2002), Hall (1981), Hamilton (1955), Jones et al. (1984).
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.
