Sorex (Sorex) maritimensis Smith 1939

Sorex (Sorex) maritimensis Smith 1939, J. Mammal., 20: 244.

Type Locality: Canada, " Nova Scotia, Kings County, Wolfville".

Vernacular Names: Maritime Shrew.

Distribution: Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Conservation: Conservation status requires evaluation (Stewart et al., 2002).

Discussion: Subgenus Sorex, S. arcticus group. Karyotype has 2n = 28/29, FN = 34. Van Zyll de Jong (1983 b) and Volobouev and van Zyll de Jong (1988) suggested that maritimensis may be an independent species. Genetic data provided by Stewart et al. (2002) support that view. They suggest that S. arcticus and S. maritimensis shared a common ancestor approximately 2.4 million years ago.