Asiatic short-tailed shrew

Blarinella quadraticauda is a shrew in the genus of Asiatic short-tailed shrews ( Blarinella ). It occurs in a limited part of the People's Republic of China.

Features

With a head-body length of 6.5 to 8.1 centimeters, the type is one of the medium-sized shrew species and is also the largest species of the genus. The tail reaches a length of 40 to 60 millimeters, and the hind foot 13 ​​to 16 millimeters; as in all species of the tail is very short so that, but longer than the other Blarinella species. The type corresponds in appearance Blarinella griselda, but is slightly larger. The back and belly coloration is uniformly dark brown with no gray - brown strikes, with the ventral side, the top of the feet and tail are as dark or even darker.

The skull has a maximum length of 20 to 22 millimeters. Like all species of the genus has the kind in the maxilla per half an incisor ( incisor ) and then five unicuspid teeth, a Vorbackenzahn ( premolar ) and three molars ( Molar ). In the mandible, it has, however, a single canine ( canine ) behind the incisor. Overall, the animals thus have 32 teeth.

Dissemination

Blarinella quadraticauda comes only in a limited part of the People's Republic of China in Sichuan province at altitudes of 1,500 to 3,000 meters before.

Way of life

Over the life of this kind are, as in all species of the genus is limited data. Like all shrews also feed on these types of insects. The species lives mainly in coniferous forests of altitudes between 1,500 to 3,000 meters in the area of rivers, but can also be found in secondary forest away from the rivers.

System

Blarinella quadraticauda is classified as a separate species within the genus of Asiatic short-tailed shrews ( Blarinella ), which consists of three types. The first scientific description comes from Henri Milne -Edwards from the year 1872. Occasionally both Blarinella griselda as well Blarinella wardi, the two other species of the genus, Blarinella quadraticauda were slammed as subspecies.

Within the species, no subspecies are distinguished addition to the nominate form.

Threat and protection

The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) due to the relatively small area of ​​distribution as well as the threat to the population size by habitat changes in the early warning ( " near threatened " ), and it has been close to a listing as an endangered species. Hazards for the type to go out mainly by the felling of forests in their area of ​​distribution and conversion to agricultural land and settlement of space.