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

description: 88. Big Mexican Small-eared Shrew <i>Cryptotis magnus</i> <b>French:</b> Musaraigne d'Oaxaca / <b>German:</b> Grote Mexikanische Kleinohrspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana de orejas pequenas de México grande <b>Other common names:</b> Big Small-eared Shrew, Big Mexican Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Blarina magna Merriam, 1895, “ Totontepec, Oaxaca (altitude, 6,800 feet [= 2073 m]),” Mexico. Restricted by L. N. Carraway in 2007 to “latitude 17-22°N, longitude 95-98°W.” In concordance with Opinion 2164 of the International Code of Zoological Nomen- clature in 2006, Cryptotis is considered to be masculine, and all species epithets in the genus are altered to be masculine if necessary. L. Guevara and F. A. Cervantes in 2014 found that C. magnus is in the C. mexicanus group and sister to C. phillipsu, which togetheraresister to a clade containing C. nelsoni, C. mexicanus, and C. obscurus. J. R. Choate in 1970 considered C. magnus a relict species due to its less developed foot anatomy (less fossorial) and relict distribution. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> NC Oaxaca (SC Mexico). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body ¢.86-88 mm, tail 37-53 mm, hindfoot 1617-5 mm; weight 7 g. The Big Mexican Small-eared Shrew is large, with relatively large teeth for its body size. Pelage is longer in winter than summer, and fur is more drab in color near end of each season but stays the same color between seasons (although venter is apparently paler in winter). Dorsum is uniform black, with interspersed paler hairs, giving somewhat peppered appearance. Venteris slightly lighter than dorsum because some hairs have buffy tips. Feet are not as semi-fossorially specialized as in other species of Cryptotis, being elongated with abruptly recurved claws. Eyes are diminutive, and ears are small and barely visible under fur. Tail is relatively long for the genus (c.52% of head-body length), covered with short hair, and black. Skull is very large, with angular braincase and elongated and broad rostrum. Teeth are large in proportion to body size. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids, with very small lingual tubercles. <b>Habitat.</b> Cloud forests and wet conifer-oak forests at elevations of 1300-3000 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> There is no specific information available for this species, but the Big Mexican Small-eared Shrew probably feeds on large insects, as indicated by its larger size and bulbous teeth. <b>Breeding.</b> Breeding of the Big Mexican Small-eared Shrew probably occurs year-round, although there can be peaks or cycles during wet and dry seasons. Females with three embryos and males with prominent testicles have been captured in May—-October. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Big Mexican Small-eared Shrews are probably nocturnal and might be less fossorial than other shrews in the C. mexicanus group because their feet are not as specialized for fossorial living. Individuals have been captured on runways. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List (as C. magna). The Big Mexican Small-eared Shrew has a restricted distribution and is considered relatively rare. Deforestation is the greatest threat; as much as 72% of its distribution has become unsuitable due to agricultural and urban expansion. Although a small part of its northern distribution is in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve, most ofits distribution is unprotected. Additional research is needed on ecology of the Big Mexican Small-eared Shrew. <b>Bibliography.</b> Baird et al. (2018), Carraway (2007), Choate (1970), Cuarén, de Grammont &amp; Woodman (2008), Guevara &amp; Cervantes (2014), Hutterer (2005b), ICZN (2006), Lopez &amp; Zarza (2014), Robertson &amp; Rickart (1975).
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 427, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843