Suncus etruscus (Savi 1822)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Soricomorpha, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 220-311 : 258

Suncus etruscus (Savi 1822)

[Sorex] etruscus Savi 1822 , Nuovo Giorn. de Letterati, Pisa, Vol. 1: 60.

Type Locality: Italy, Pisa.

Vernacular Names: Etruscan Shrew.

Synonyms: Suncus assamensis (Anderson 1873) ; Suncus atratus (Blyth 1855) ; Suncus bactrianus Stroganov 1958 ; Suncus hodgsoni (Blyth 1855) ; Suncus kura (Deraniyagala 1958) ; Suncus melanodon (Blyth 1855) ; Suncus micronyx (Blyth 1855) ; Suncus nanula (Stroganov 1941) ; Suncus nilgirica (Anderson 1877) ; Suncus nitidofulva (Anderson 1877) ; Suncus nudipes (Blyth 1855) ; Suncus pachyurus (Küster 1835) ; Suncus perrotteti (Duvernoy 1842) ; Suncus pygmaeoides (Anderson 1877) ; Suncus pygmaeus ( Hodgson 1845) ; Suncus suaveolens ( Blasius 1857) ; Suncus travancorensis (Anderson 1877) .

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

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: European and Asian range reviewed by Spitzenberger (1970, 1990 c); 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 (1978 c:31) expressed doubt on the conspecificy of the Indian forms. The same applies to records from further east ( Feiler and Nadler, 1997). Many authors included fellowesgordoni , hosei , madagascariensis , and malayanus in etruscus , however, in the present list they are all treated as valid species.