94.

Honduran Small-eared Shrew

Cryptotis hondurensis

French: Musaraigne du Honduras / German: Honduras-Kleinohrspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de orejas pequenas de Honduras

Taxonomy. Cryptotis hondurensis Woodman & Timm, 1992,

“ Honduras: Francisco Morazan Department; 12 km WNW of El Zamorano, W slope of Cerro Uyuca [= Cerro Oyuca; ca. 14°05’N, 87°06’'W], 1680 m.”

Cryptotis hondurensis is in the C. nigrescens group based on morphology, although genetic data are needed to clarify its position. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known from three localities in Francisco Morazan Department E of Tegucigalpa (S Honduras).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 55-64 mm, tail 27-29 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Honduran Small-eared Shrew is small. Dorsum is dark blackish brown, and venter is paler dark brown. Feet are small and slim, with tiny claws, and dusky in color. Tail is long (c.42-53% of head-body length), dark brown, covered with short hair, and tapered to a point. Eyes are diminutive, and

ears are small and barely visible under fur. Skull has long and wide rostrum, wide zygomatic plate, complex M?nearly perpendicular conformation of coronoid process junction with horizontal ramus, and short and broad articular process. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids.

Habitat. Highland pine, mixed pine, and oak forests at elevations of ¢.1700 m.

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 Honduran Small-eared Shrew is known from few specimens at three localities, including within La Tigra National Park, although its distribution is probably more extensive. Deforestation and pesticide use might be major threats, but additional research on threats, taxonomy, and ecology is needed.

Bibliography. Choate (1970), Hutterer (2005b), Reid (2009), Woodman & Matson (2008), Woodman & Timm (1992).