Sorex thibetanus

31.

Tibetan Shrew

Sorex thibetanus

French: Musaraigne du Tibet / German: Tibet-Spitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Tibet

Taxonomy. Sorex minutus thibetanus Kastschenko, 1905,

“ Tsaidam [= Qaidam],”

Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China. S. thibetanus is sometimes considered conspecific with other taxa from the southern and eastern Himalaya-Tibet Plateau including S. buchariensis and S. planiceps. Species boundary of S. thibetanusis not entirely clear. Several specimens from Nepal were temporarily assigned to this species by R. S. Hoff mann, but whether they belong to S. thibetanus, and whetherall geographic populations from southern China are conspecific remains unclarified. Sorex kozlovi is considered a subspecies here. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

S.t.thibetanusKastschenko,1905—Qinghai-TibetanPlateau,mainlyknownfromhighlandofQinghaiandSGansu,CChina;twospecimensrecordedfromDolpaandJumladistrictsofWNepal.

S. t. kozlovi S.t., 1952 — highland of SE Qinghai, E Tibet (= Xizang), and N Sichuan, SW China.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 41-64 mm, tail 32-54 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive lengths are 15-8-17-3 mm, and tooth rows are 6-5-7-5 mm. The Tibetan Shrew is similar to but larger than the Eurasian Pygmy Shrew (S. minutus). Dorsum of the Tibetan Shrew is grayish brown. Tail is covered with dense hair and tuft of hair at tip. Bases of upper unicuspids are shorter than height of tooth crown.

Habitat. Moist coniferous forest and shrubs at elevations of 2000-4000 m. Habitats used by the Tibetan Shrew include spruce, willow, juniper, and Sibiraea (Rosaceae) shrubs.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Tibetan Shrew is distributed at high elevations without anthropogenic activities. Its population presumably is not declining.

Bibliography. Dolgov & Hoffmann (1977), Hoffmann (1996), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Stroganov (1952).