57.

Veracruz Shrew

Sorex veraecrucis

French: Musaraigne du Veracruz / German: Veracruz-Spitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Veracruz

Taxonomy. Sorex saussurei veraecrucis H. H. T. Jackson, 1925,

“ Xico, altitude 6,000 feet [= 1829 m], State of Vera Cruz, Mexico.” Restricted by L. N. Carraway in 2007 to “latitude 19-42°N, longitude 97-0°W.”

Sorex veraecrucis is included in the S. veraecrucis group along with S. ixtlanensis based on recent genetic data that placed them sister to each other and close to the S. oreopolus group. Sorex veraecrucis previously included S. altoensis and S. cristobalensis, although both are considered distinct species based primarily on genetic data, because S. altoensis was closer to S. saussurei and S. cristobalensis was closer to S. salvini, both of which are in an unnamed subgenus of Sorex . Additional research is needed to clarify taxonomic status of subspecies. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

S.v.veraecrucisH.H.T.Jackson,1925—WC&SVeracruz,EPuebla,andN&COaxaca,EC&SCMexico.

S. v. oaxacae H. H. T. Jackson, 1925 — S Oaxaca, SC Mexico.

Descriptive notes. Head—-body 46-72 mm, tail 45-75 mm, hindfoot 12-16 mm; weight 6 g. The Veracruz Shrew is a small- to medium-sized. Dorsum is medium grayish brown, and venteris grayish white or grayish blond. Tail ranges from 70% (in oaxacae) to 120-140% (in veraecrucis) of head-body length and is uniformly medium brown. I1 has either deep (oaxacae) or shallow ( veraecrucis) interdenticular space. Teeth are pigmented dark red. There are five unicuspids, first and second are largest, third is usually smaller than fourth, and fifth is very small.

Habitat. High-elevation (1600-3000 m) temperate forest and corn/oatfields.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Veracruz Shrew is relatively common with a wide distribution, although there is not much information available aboutits ecology, and localized threats are unknown.

Bibliography. Carraway (2007), Esteva et al. (2010), Matson & Ordénez-Garza (2017).