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

description: 161. Himalayan Shrew <i>Soriculus nigrescens</i> <b>French:</b> Musaraigne de |'Himalaya / <b>German:</b> Sikkim-GrofRRklauenspitzmaus / <b>Spanish:</b> Musarana del Himalaya <b>Other common names:</b> Sikkim Large-clawed Shrew <b>Taxonomy.</b> Corsira nigrescens Gray, 1842, “ India.” Soriculus is currently monotypic. Episoriculus and Chodsigoa were included in Soriculus as subgenera but are generally accepted as full genera. Notably, although Soriculus is monotypic, it might still contain undescribed species based on molecular studies. Two subspecies recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> S.n.nigrescensGray,1842—NW&amp;NEIndia(Uttarakhand,WestBengal,andSikkim)andNepal. S. n. minor Dobson, 1890 — Bhutan, NE India, SW China (S Tibet [= Xizang] and NW Yunnan, W of the Salween River), and adjacent N Myanmar. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 70-94 mm, tail 32-50 mm, hindfoot 12-17 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive lengths are 19-7-23-8 mm, and tooth rows are 8:8-10-7 mm. Dorsum of the Himalayan Shrew is dust in color. Forefeet and claws are enlarged and larger than hindfeet, indicating digging ability. Tail is ¢.50% of head—body length. Ears are small and hidden under fur. Skull is bony, and braincase is low. Low talon (posterior cusp) of I' and first upper unicuspid are similar in height. Second upper unicuspid is the largest. M, is tiny. Pigmentation on teeth is very light and,if present, only occurs on tips of teeth. Dental formula is I 3/2, C1/0,P2/1,M 3/3 (x2) = 30. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 64 and FNa = 86 + XY for specimens from Gandaki, Nepal. <b>Habitat.</b> Mixed deciduous-coniferous forest, conifer-rhododendron forest, above timberline in alpine zone, and open rocky areas at elevations of 1000-4300 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Diet of the Himalayan Shrew primarily contains insects (beetles, flies, and bees) and earthworms. <b>Breeding.</b> The Himalayan Shrew reportedly has two breeding seasons, a primary one in June-July and a secondary one in August-October. Litters have 3-9 young (average six in spring and 4-5 in autumn). <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Himalayan Shrew occurs aboveground and underground. Based on its morphology, it is semi-fossorial. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> No information. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. In South Asia, major threats faced by the Himalayan Shrew are habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and human settlements. It is known from a few specimens in south-western China, but population size is likely large in Nepal, based on large collections in museums. <b>Bibliography.</b> Hoffmann (1985), Motokawa (2003a), Motokawa et al. (2008), Smith &amp; Yan Xie (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 pages 451-452, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843