63.

Mount Lyell Shrew

Sorex lyellz

French: Musaraigne du Lyell / German: Mount-Lyell-Spitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Monte Lyell

Other common names: Lyell Shrew

Taxonomy. Sorex tenellus lyelli Merriam, 1902,

“ Mt. Lyell, Tuolumne Co., Califonia,” USA.

Sorex lyelli is in the S. cinereus group and subgenus Ofisorex; it is closest to a population of S. cinereus from the central Rocky Mountains that might represent a distinct species and the Beringian clade. Monotypic.

Distribution. EC Sierra Nevada, EC California (WC USA).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 50-68 mm, tail 39-44 mm, hindfoot 11-12 mm; is 4-6 g. The Mount Lyell Shrew is relatively small. Dorsum is pale grayish brown,sides are gray, and venter is grayish white. Feet are whitish. Tail is ¢.60-80% of head-body length, narrow, and distinctly bicolored, being pale grayish brown above and whiter below. Teeth are pigmented dark red. There are five unicuspids,fifth is minute, and third is larger than fourth.

Habitat. Montane dry sagebrush steppe and wetlands at elevations of 2100-3630 m.

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 Mount Lyell Shrew has a restricted distribution in and surrounding Yosemite National Park. Its habitat is rather remote and unaltered by humans, and it seems to be relatively common in its small distribution.

Bibliography. Demboski & Cook (2003), Epanchin & Engilis (2009), Grinnell (1933), Hope et al. (2012), Nature-Serve (2017), Williams (1984).