Guatemalan Sierra Shrew
Sorex veraepacis chiapensis Jackson, 1925: 129; part
Sorex veraepacis chiapensis: Woodman et al. 2012: 216; part.
Holotype. Number 569709, United States National Museum, adult, female, dried skin, skull, partial postcranial skeleton, with tissue samples; obtained 6 July 2006 by John O. Matson and field party (original field number JOM 7178) in a coniferous-hardwood cloud forest approximately 5 km ENE Cabricán, Bosque Ojo de Agua, 3100 m, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, latitude 15 ° 05' N, longitude 91 ° 36' W. Measurements of the holotype are: TOT 113; Tail 45, HF 14; EL 7; 7 g; CBL 17.9; GLS 18.4; LR 8.0; LP 7.8; LUT 2.9; LMT 4.7; CB 9.7; WM2 5.2; LIB, 4.2; DB 6.1; LM 7.4; HC 4.1.
Distribution. Sierra Madre in the southwestern highlands of Guatemala at elevations of 2300–3100 m.
Etymology. T he specific name madrensis was selected because all known specimens are from the Sierra Madre of southwestern Guatemala.
Diagnosis. Sorex madrensis is a member of the S. veraepacis species group. Sorex madrensis is distinguished from the other three species of this group by being smaller than either S. ibarrai or S. veraepacis, and being slightly larger than S. chiapensis (Table 1 and Figure 6). U3 <U 4 in most individuals. Color of dorsal pelage is light gray, being close to Deep Varley’s Gray. The venter is only slightly paler. The tail is unicolor Deep Varley’s Gray.
Description. A is a medium-sized Sorex (Table 1). Cranially, Sorex madrensis can be distinguished from S. chiapensis by its more inflated skull and longer rostrum. The mandibles are longer and deeper. Sorex madrensis is lighter gray than any of the other species in the S. veraepacis species group.
Ecology. Sorex madrensis occurs in cloud forests at high elevations (above 2300 m). It was associated with a deep layer of leaf litter and mosses at several localities that we collected, including Quetzaltenango (near Zunil and Cabricán) and Sacatepéquez (El Pilar). Of 8 females we collected in July in Quetzaltenango, 4 were lactating; whereas, of 4 females collected in January in Sacatepéquez, none showed evidence of reproduction.
Remarks. Jackson (1928) considered specimens of the Sorex veraepacis group from western and southwestern Guatemala (Volcán Santa María and Calel, Quetzaltenango) to be S. v. chiapensis. Also, following Jackson (1928), Woodman et al. (2012) assigned specimens we collected from Quetzaltenango to S. v. chiapensis. Our Principal Components analyses indicate that these animals are distinct at the species level from S. chiapensis. Marshall (2007) referred the Sierra Madre of southwestern Guatemala as the Guatemalan Cordillera of the Chortis Volcanic Front Physiographic Province. It includes the Neogene volcanic belt and associated mountains of southwestern Guatemala.
Specimens Examined (32). Guatemala, Escuintla, Vista Hermosa, Finca Rosario, 2300 m (UMMZ 122449); Quetzaltenango, 5 km ENE Cabricán, Bosque Ojo de Agua, 3100 m (USNM 569709–569711, 569732, 569733, 569747), Calel (USNM 77036–77039, 77088), Volcán Santa María (USNM 77040–77043, 77047, 77085), 4 km SE Zunil, Finca La Chingada, 2720 m (USNM 569674), 6 km SE Zunil, Bosque Zunil, 3000 m (USNM 569696), 6.5 km SE Zunil, Bosque Zunil, 3100 m (USNM 569688, 569689), 8 km SE Zunil, Fuentes Georgina, 2460 m (KU 163661), Sacatepéquez, 11 km SE Antigua, Finca El Pilar, 2640 m (USAC uncatalogued JOM 7527, 7529, 7538, 7539, 7544); San Marcos, Volcán Tajumulco S. slope, 10,000 ft (UMMZ 99542, 99543); Totonicapán, Cumbre María Tecún, 3000 m (UMMZ 112012, 112013).