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

description: 105. Tropical Least Shrew <i>Cryptotis tropicalis</i> <b>French:</b> Musaraigne des Tropiques / <b>German:</b> Tropische Kleinohrspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana minima tropical <b>Other common names:</b> Tropical Shrew, Tropical Small-eared Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Blarina tropicalis Merriam, 1895, “ Coban, Guatemala (altitude about 4,400 feet [= 1341 m]).” Restricted by L. N. Carraway to “latitude 15-48°N, longi- tude 90-37°W.” Cryptotis tropicalis traditionally has been in- cluded in C. parvus, but N. Woodman suggested that C. orophilus is a distinct species, followed by R. Hutterer in 2005 and L. N. Carraway in 2007. It is in the C. parvus group, and A. B. Baird and colleagues in 2018 determined that C. tropicalis wassister to C. orophilus, with C. parvus sister to this clade. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Highlands of E Chiapas (SE Mexico), Guatemala, Belize, W Honduras, and NW El Salvador. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 70-71 mm, tail 26-29 mm, hindfoot 12-13 mm; weight c.6-7 g. The Tropical Least Shrew is medium-sized. Dorsum has dark brown hairs, tipped with dark reddish brown, and venter is lighter, with blond-tipped hairs. Forefeet are relatively broad, with long broad claws; feet are dusky in color. Tail is short (c.40% of head-body length), covered with short hair, and slightly bicolored, being dark brown above and lighter below. Eyes are diminutive, and ears are small and barely visible under fur. Area between condylar process is shallowly emarginated (notched); I' has deep interdenticular spaces, with two denticles; fourth unicuspid is obscured or not visible in lateral view; upper condylar facet is tipped dorsally at labial edge relative to lower condylar facet; and zygomatic process is sharply pointed, extending posteriorly and ventro-laterally until below occlusal surface ofteeth. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids. <b>Habitat.</b> Primarily tropical rainforests at elevations of 1110-1400 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Tropical Least Shrew is carnivorous/insectivorous, feeding primarily on insects and other invertebrates. <b>Breeding.</b> No information. <b>Activity patterns.</b> No information. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> There is no specific information for this species, but the Tropical Least Shrew is probably most similar ecologically to the North American Least Shrew (C. parvus). <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Virtually nothing is known of the natural history of the Tropical Least Shrew, and additional research is needed. Urban and agricultural expansion and pesticide use might be major threats. <b>Bibliography.</b> Baird et al. (2018), Carraway (2007, 2014b), Choate (1970), Hutterer (2005b), Reid (2009), Whitaker (1974), Woodman (2011a).
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