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

description: 20. Caucasian Shrew <i>Sorex satunin</i> <b>French:</b> Musaraigne de Satunin / <b>German:</b> Kaukasus-Spitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana del Caucaso <b>Taxonomy.</b> Sorex araneus satunini Ognev, 1921, Goele, Kars, Turkey. Evidence from mtDNA and nDNA sequences classifies S. satunini in the araneus group. A possible separate subspecies lives in the Central Caucasus, but currently lacks a valid name. Two subspecies recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> S.s.satuniniOgnev,1921—Transcaucasia(Georgia,Armenia,andAzerbaijan)andNTurkey. S. s. stavropolica Sokolov &amp; Tembotov, 1989 — Ciscaucasia (S European Russia). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 57-81 mm (immatures 57-72 mm), tail 38-44 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm; weight 5-5—11-5 g (immatures 5-5-7-5 g). Tail of the Caucasian Shrew is bicolored and only slightly longer than 50% of head-body length. Pelageis usually bicolored and occasionally tricolored. Back varies from grayish brown in juveniles to dark brown in adults, belly is light gray, and sides are reddish. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 24-25 and FN = 46, with ten pairs of metacentric and one pair of acrocentric autosomes. Trivalent of sex chromosomes consists of large metacentric X-chromosome, small acrocentric Y-chromosome, and medium-sized acrocentric Y,chromosome. <b>Habitat.</b> Various habitats and most abundant in subalpine meadows with substantial grass cover of the western Caucasus from sea level to elevations of ¢.2600 m. Abundance of the Caucasian Shrew is lower in subalpine meadows of the Lesser Caucasus and Dagestan where conditions are more arid. High abundance in wet forest habitats is achieved only in the absence of Radde’s Shrew (S. raddei). The Caucasian Shrew is most often found in river valleys in Armenia and is common in juniper-covered stone fields in Turkey. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Various insects (both adults and larvae), earthworms, mollusks, and small frogs were readily eaten by Caucasian Shrews in laboratory conditions. Feeding behavior is generally similar to that of the Common Shrew (S. araneus). <b>Breeding.</b> Pregnant Caucasian Shrews become detectable in April. Numbers of embryos/female are 4-8 (average six). Two litters are usually born in a season, in May and June; a few females can have a third litter. Young-of-the-year do not regularly reproduce. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Because traps were mostly visited at night, daily activity peaks of the Caucasian Shrew were assumed to occur predominantly at night. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Caucasian Shrew is common in the Caucasian region and dominates shrew communities in some regions. <b>Bibliography.</b> Bannikova &amp; Lebedev (2010), Bukhnikashvili (2004), Dolgov (1985), KryStufek &amp; Vohralik (2001), Satunin (1915), Sokolov &amp; Tembotov (1989), Zaitsev et al. (2014), Zima et al. (1998).
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 401, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843