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

description: 99. Merriam’s Small-eared Shrew <i>Cryptotis merriami</i> <b>French:</b> Musaraigne de Choate / <b>German:</b> Merriam-Kleinohrspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana de orejas pequenas de Merriam <b>Taxonomy.</b> Cryptotis nigrescens merriami Choate, 1970, “ Jacaltenango, 5400 ft. [= 1646 m], Huehuetenango, Guatemala.” Restricted by L. N. Carraway in 2007 to “latitude 15-67°N, longitude 91-73°W.” J. R. Choate in 1970 originally described C. merriami as a subspecies of C. nigrescens, but N. Woodman and R. M. Timm in 1993 validated its specific status. Itis in the C. nigrescens group; A. B. Baird and colleagues in 2018 determined that C. merriami is par- aphyletic, with some Guatemalan and Honduran specimens being closerto a clade including C. mayensis and C. lacandonensis and other Guatemalan specimens basalto this clade, indicating that C. merriami represents at least two species. Taxonomy requires reassessment. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Highlands of SE Mexico (Chiapas), Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, NW Nicaragua, and NW Costa Rica. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head—body 65-76 mm,tail 24-33 mm, hindfoot 11-14 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Merriam’s Small-eared Shrew is small. Dorsum is blackish medium gray to blackish brown. Venter is paler gray to grayish brown. Feet are small and slim, with tiny claws, and dusky in color. Tail is very short (¢.32-50% of head-body length), covered with short hair, and slightly bicolored, being dark blackish brown above and paler below. Eyes are diminutive, and ears are small and barely visible under fur. Skull is similar to the Yucatan Small-eared Shrew (C. mayensis) but can be distinguished by fourth unicuspid that is obscured or notvisible in lateral view of skull. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids. <b>Habitat.</b> Evergreen, broadleaf, and pine-oak forests and agriculturalfields near forests at elevations of 600-1720 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Merriam’s Small-eared Shrew is carnivorous, feeding on insects and other invertebrates. <b>Breeding.</b> Pregnant and lactating Merriam’s Small-eared Shrews have been captured in July; a pregnant female had three embryos. <b>Activity patterns.</b> No information. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Merriam’s Small-eared Shrew has a relatively wide distribution and is found in various protected areas, although it is considered rare and locally threatened by deforestation and pesticide use. Virtually nothing is known ofits natural history; additional research is needed. <b>Bibliography.</b> Baird et al. (2018), Carraway (2007), Carre6n &amp; Ceballos (2014b), Choate (1970), Guevara, Sanchez-Cordero et al. (2014), He et al. (2015), Hutterer (2005b), Moreno (2017), Reid (2009), Woodman (1995), Woodman &amp; Morgan (2005), Woodman &amp; Timm (1993), Woodman, Matson, Cuar6n &amp; de Grammont (2016a), Woodman, Matson, McCarthy et al. (2012).
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 pages 430-431, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843