133.

Blind Small-eared Shrew

Cryptotis miausa

French: Musaraigne aveugle / German: Blinde Kleinohrspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de orejas pequenas ciega

Taxonomy. Cryptotis niausa Moreno & Albuja, 2014,

“ ECUADOR: provincia de Napo: canton Quijos: Papallacta (Paramos de La Virgen), 00°20°49-2”S, 78°12°0"W, 3700 m, a 64 km al oriente de la ciudad de Quito.”

Cryptotis niausa is in the C. thomasi group based on morphology, but molecular data found that C. niausa, C. evaristoi, and C. montivagus were closely related to either the C. mexicanus group or the C. nigrescens

group. It is provisionally retained in the C. thomasi group until sampling of more species within all three groups has been completed. Pleistocene fossils representing this species have been found in Ecuador. Monotypic.

Distribution. Andes of NC Ecuador.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 54-93 mm, tail 30—41 mm, hindfoot 13-17 mm; weight 12-17 g. The Blind Small-eared Shrew is large, with grayish brown dorsum and slightly lighter venter; there is slight yellowish tinge along throat and chest. Forefeet are somewhat enlarged and robust, with long pointed claws. Tail is short (c.41% of head—body length), unicolored brownish, and covered with short hairs. Eyes are diminutive, and they are not actually blind but named after the native name for the species, “nausa ucucha,” meaning “blind mouse” in the Kichwa language. Ears are small and hidden under fur. Fourth unicuspid is small, and unicuspid row is relatively short and narrow. Posterior border of palatal is usually quite separated from M’. Zygomatic plate is narrow relative to length of skull. Protocone of P* is not very conspicuous. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids.

Habitat. Paramo shrubland and sometimes surrounding montane wet forests at elevations of 2800-3900 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Blind Small-eared Shrew has a restricted distribution but is found in the Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve and surrounding areas and seems to be moderately common and more widespread than other species of Cryptotis. Additional research is needed.

Bibliography. Moreno (2017), Moreno & Albuja (2014), Zeballos et al. (2018).