Sorex fodiens Pennant, 1771 p.308; Type locality-Berlin, Germany.
Neomys fodiens orientis Thomas, 1914 p.564; Type locality- Swamps of Kammanajaretschka River, Semirechyia, Russian central Asia; Won, 1968 p.62; Yoon, 1992 p.22 (Won (1968) and Yoon (1992) used the name orientalis, perhaps a misprint of orientis).
N. watasei Kishida, 1930 p.372 (Nomen nudum).
N. fodiens watasei: Kuroda, 1941 p.114; Type locality- Toyohara, Sakhalin Island, Russia.
N. limchunhunii Won, 1954 p.41; Type locality- Pungseo, Ryanggang Province, Korea.
N. fodiens: Won, 1968 p.62; Han, 1994 p.45; Won & Smith, 1999 p.9; Han, 2004a p.28.
Range: Eurasian water shrews inhabit the northeastern peninsula from Mt. Baekdu southward to Mt. Seorak National Park along high mountain ranges (Fig. 9). Since the first collection of this species in 1953 near Ryanggang Province, mammalogists have viewed N. fodiens as a species from North Korea (Won 1968). However, since 2007 this shrew has been observed in South Korea (NIBR 2012).
Remarks: This species was first described as a new species, Neomys limchunhunii Won, 1955. Korean populations of the Eurasian water shrew are now considered N. fodiens orientis. Literature citations previously referred to this shrew as N. f. orientalis (Won 1968; Yoon 1992; Won & Smith 1999), but Neomys fodiens orientis Thomas, 1914 had priority over Neomys fodiens orientalis Hinton, 1915 as the proper scientific name (Corbet 1978).
Conservation status: The North Korean government classified N. fodiens as a ‘Rare’ species (MAB National Committee of DPR Korea 2002).