Cryptotis alticola
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Soricomorpha
Soricidae
Cryptotis
Cryptotis alticola

description: 106. Popocatepetl Broad-clawed Shrew <i>Cryptotis alticola</i> <b>French:</b> Musaraigne alticole / <b>German:</b> Popocatepetl-Kleinohrspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana de unas anchas de Popocatépet! <b>Other common names:</b> Central Mexican Broad-clawed Shrew, Central Mexican Shrew, Popocatepetl Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Blarina alticola Merriam, 1895, “ Mount Popocatepetl, Mexico (altitude, 11,500 feet [= 3505 m]).” Restricted by L. N. Carraway in 2007 to “latitude 19-05°N, longitude 98-63°W.” Cryptotis alticola was considered a subspecies of C. goldmani until N. Woodman and R. M. Timm in 1999 recognized it as a distinct species. L. Guevara and F. A. Cervantes in 2014 and A. B. Baird and colleagues in 2018 found that C. alticola was in the C. goldmani group with C. goldmani and C. peregrinus, and it was the most basal of the group. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> C Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Mexico, Distrito Federal, Morelos, Hidalgo, and Puebla (SC Mexico). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head—body 69-87 mm,tail 24-36 mm, hindfoot 11-16 mm; weight 8-16 g. The Popocatepetl Broad-clawed Shrew is medium-sized. Dorsum is light to medium grayish brown (hairs with silver bases, brown middles, and gray tips), and venter is dark gray, with white-tipped hairs. Feet are relatively long and broad, with long wide claws; posterior part of legs is lighter than anterior part. Tail is short (c.33% of headbody length), covered with short hair, and same color as body. Eyes are diminutive, and ears are small and barely visible under fur. Zygomatic processes extend posteriorly and ventro-laterally to below occlusal surface of teeth; zygomatic processis also sharply pointed compared with Goldman’s Broad-clawed Shrew (C. goldmani); fourth unicuspid is partial obscured or not visible when viewing skull laterally; and I, has two denticles and deep interdenticular space. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids. <b>Habitat.</b> Generally temperate rainforests with dense underbrush, specifically in temperate pine, pine-oak, and pine-fir forests, and bunchgrass meadows, at elevations of 2460-4400 m. Popocatepet]l Broad-clawed Shrews have also been recorded from disturbed pine forests in Michoacan. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Popocatepetl Broad-clawed Shrew is carnivorous, feeding on various invertebrates including insects and earthworms. <b>Breeding.</b> Reproduction of the Popocatepetl Broad-clawed Shrew apparently occurs year-round, and litters have 3-6 young. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Popocatepetl Broad-clawed Shrews are semi-fossorial. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Popocatepetl Broad-clawed Shrew has a relatively wide distribution and has been found in degraded habitats, indicating that it is tolerant of disturbance. Very little is known of its ecology, and additional research is needed to understand natural history, taxonomy, and threats. <b>Bibliography.</b> Baird et al. (2018), Carraway (2007), Ceballos &amp; Carre6n (2014), Choate (1970), Guevara &amp; Cervantes (2014), Hutterer (2005b), Woodman &amp; Timm (1999), Woodman, Matson et al. (2008).
description: Published as part of <i>Russell A. Mittermeier &amp; Don E. Wilson, 2018, Soricidae, pp. 332-551 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 433, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843