252.

Large White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura dracula

French: Crocidure dracula / German: GrolRe \WeilRzahnspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana grande

Other common names: Dracula Shrew

Taxonomy. Crocidura dracula Thomas, 1912,

“ Yunnan (probably near Mong-tze[= Mengzi]),” China.

Long considered a synonym of C. fuligi- nosa, but a recent genetic study implies that these two are distinct species, and the distribution of C. fuliginosa may be limited to South-east Asia. Includes praedax from Yunnan as a synonym. The taxonomic status of these forms is not clear and requires further revision. The records of “C. fuligi-

nosa’ from Fujian, Guangdong, and south-eastern Tibet (= Xizang) probably refer to a different species. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

C.d.draculaThomas,1912—C&SCChina(Sichuan,Yunnan,Chongqing,Guizhou,andGuangxi),NLaos,andNVietnam.

C. d. mansumensis Carter, 1942 — known only from the type locality in N Myanmar; range limits unclear because the species has been recognized as a synonym for a long time, probably N Myanmar.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 78-95 mm,tail 65-80 mm, hindfoot 15-18 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive length 22-3-24-9 mm, tooth row 9-7-11-1 mm. The Large White-toothed Shrew is a large shrew with a long tail. Dorsal pelage smoky brown to dark grayish black, gradually merging into dark gray on the ventral surface. Feet are dull whitish. Tail dark brown above and paler below, usually more than 80% of head-body length. Skull is low; rostrum is broad. Second upper unicuspid is slightly smaller than the first and the third. Upper premolar proportionally large, and M* only slightly smaller than upper M1. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 40 and FN = 52.

Habitat. Found from low to middle elevations in China and may not be adapted to habitat at elevations higher than 3000 m. Has been captured in hot, dry valleys and foothills.

Food and Feeding. The Large White-toothed Shrew is insectivorous. It was found to forage in garbage heaps in China.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List which lumps the Large White-toothed Shrew and the Southeast Asian White-toothed Shrew (C. fuliginosa), which is classified as Least Concern. Its distribution is highly overlapped with human settlement. The species is probably tolerant of anthropic activities, and the population is probably not declining.

Bibliography. Abramov et al. (2013), Bannikova et al. (2011), Carter (1942), Heaney & Timm (1983), Jenkins (2013), Jenkins et al. (2009), Jiang Xuelong & Hoffmann (2001).