Crocidura ramona, Ivanitskaya, Shenbrot & Nevo, 1996
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6870843 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870259 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D474A54-A045-8729-FFFB-AA531687F818 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Crocidura ramona |
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Negev White-toothed Shrew
French: Crocidure du Ramon / German: Negev-WeiRRzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Negev
Other common names: Negev Shrew, Ramon’s Shrew
Taxonomy. Crocidura ramona Ivanitskaya, Shenbrot & Nevo, 1996 View in CoL ,
north-eastern region of Makhtesh Ramon , 30° 40’ N, 34° 56’ E, Negev, Israel. GoogleMaps
In 2001 B. Krystufek and V. Vohralik ques- tioned whether ramona might be a synonym of portali. In 2014 genetic analyses by M. Spivak-Glatter showed clear differences between ramona and other Israeli shrews, but portali was not included in the study due to lack of DNA material; detailed study
of these two taxa is required. Conversely, ramona may belong to a Palearctic group of flatheaded “rock shrews” ( zarudnyi , serezkyensis , arispa , armenica), with C. pergrisea as its nearest relative, given the inverted structure of the X-chromosomes. Investigations on mitochondrial and nuclear genes by S. Dubey and others in 2008 placed ramona in the Palearctic group as a basalsister taxon to a primary North African clade comprising canariensis , sicula , and tarfayensis ; but pergrisea was not included in this study. Monotypic.
Distribution. Near Mitzpe Ramon and Sede Boquer in Negev Desert and Sartaber in Judean Desert (Israel and Palestine). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 58-63 mm, tail 42-43 mm, ear 7-8 mm, hindfoot 10-11 mm; weight 4-5 g. Back is silver-gray and venter whitish. Hair gray at bases and silvery white at tips. Tail indistinct bicolor, with a darker underpart; upperside paler, also a shade paler than the back. Skull is flattened. Condylo-incisive length 17-7-18-4 mm. Upper incisor robust, and the second unicuspid is smaller than the third. Karyotype is 2n = 28.
Habitat. Rocky desert areas (200-950 m). In or close dry river beds with broom bushes ( Retama , Fabaceae ), tamarisks ( Tamarix , Tamaricaceae ) and oraches ( Atriplex , Amaranthaceae ), also gravel plains with single boulders and in parts rocky highlands with loess.
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. Negev White-toothed Shrews are terrestrial.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. From 1999 to 2006, attempts to find Negev White-toothed Shrewsfailed. Low rainfall may have caused a population drop; or the species may switch to deeper soil layers in dry times. Threats to the Negev White-toothed Shrew are unknown. The species has been found in five protected areas.
Bibliography. Aulagnier et al. (2008), Dubey, Salamin et al. (2008), Grimmberger (2009a), Hutterer (2005b), Hutterer & Shenbrot (2017), Ivanitskaya et al. (1996), Krystufek & Vohralik (2001), Spivak-Glatter (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.
