Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822)

Rainer Hutterer, 1993, Order Insectivora, Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 69-130 : 102

Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822) . Nuovo Giorn. de Letterati, Pisa, 1:60.

TYPE LOCALITY: Italy, Pisa .

DISTRIBUTION: S Europe and N Africa ( Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt); Arabian Peninsula and Asia Minor to Iraq, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Thailand and Yunnan ( China); also India and Sri Lanka. West and East African records ( Guinea, Nigeria, Ethiopia) are doubtful and need confirmation.

SYNONYMS: assamensis, atratus, bactrianus, hodgsoni, kura , macrotis, melanodon, micronyx, nanula, nilgirica, nitidofulva, nudipes, pachyurus, perrotteti, pygmaeoides, pygmaeus, suaveolens , travancorensis.

COMMENTS: European and Asian range reviewed by Spitzenberger (1970, 1990c); N African distribution mapped by Vesmanis (1987). Heim de Balsac and Meester (1977) discussed the African records south of the Sahara. Probably includes Podihik kura ; see Nowak and Paradiso (1983:141). The records east of Afghanistan, particularly from S India (macrotis, nilgirica) are only tentatively included; Corbet (1978c:31) expressed doubt on the conspecificy of the Indian forms. Many authors included fellowesgordoni , hosei , madagascariensis , and malayanus in etruscus , however, in the present list they are all treated as valid species.