25.

Apennine Shrew

Sorex samniticus

French: Musaraigne des Apennins / German: |talienische Waldspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Apeninos

Taxonomy. Sorex samniticus Altobello, 1926,

Molise, Campobasso Province, Italy.

Evidence from mtDNA and nDNA sequences classifies S. samniticus close to the S. araneus and S. tundrensis groups, being sister to both clades and is here included in the monotypic S. samniticus group. This is supported by their differing karyotype structure. Thus, S. samniticus lacks a sex chromosome trivalent and has only one Y-chromosome. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Italy.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 68-78 mm, tail 33-45 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm; weight 6-5-10 g. The Apennine Shrew is large. Tail is short, usually no longer than 50% of head-body length. Pelage is unicolored. Back and belly are brownish chestnut, but belly is somewhat lighter. There is no distinct demarcation between back and belly colors. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 52 and FN = 52, with 25 pairs of acrocentric autosomes. X-chromosome and Y-chromosome are acrocentric. Up to two supernumerary B-microchromosomes are occasionally found in the karyotype.

Habitat. Stream valleys and bogs or along fences and roadbeds in low mountains up to elevations of 1160 m but not higher. The Apennine Shrew avoids arid habitats.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Two lactating Apennine Shrews were captured on May, and two pregnant females with three and six embryos were caught in June. Earliest date of capture of an independently livingjuvenile was May.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Abundance of the Apennine Shrew is low everywhere.

Bibliography. Fumagalli et al. (1996), Graf et al. (1979), Hausser (1990c), Mortelliti et al. (2007).