White-toothed shrew

Toothed shrew ( Crocidura suaveolens )

The Crocidurinae as the largest genus also known as White - toothed shrews or eyelash, are a subfamily of shrews ( Soricidae ) within the insectivores ( Eulipotyphla ). The taxon includes about 200 species, which are divided into 9 genera.

Features

Like all shrews are also the Crocidurinae small mammals with body lengths of less than 15 centimeters with a usually more than 10 cm long tail. Known types are the Etruscan shrew ( S. etruscus ), as the smallest mammal ever considered along with the pig nose bat, and the musk shrew ( S. murinus ), which is one of the largest shrews up to almost 15 centimeters body length.

The Crocidurinae or White tooth shrews are distinguished from the other subfamilies of shrews primarily by the specific construction of the jaw from, in which are the articular surfaces of the mandible close to each other in general and on the lip side (labial ) often merge. The mental foramen, a bone opening on the outer side of the horizontal branch of the lower jaw, located behind the molars of the front root M1 ( as it is the Soricinae before this ), and the premolar P4 is specific in shape. In contrast to most of the white Soricinae tooth shrews have no red color pigment to the tooth roots.

Dissemination

The Crocidurinae live with nearly 200 species in Eurasia, Southeast Asia and Africa; in America and in Australia they are missing.

Way of life

The Crocidurinae correspond in their way of life typical shrews. They usually live on the ground either in leaf litter or in the upper soil layers and feed mainly on invertebrates such as insects, spiders, earthworms and snails.

System

The White Tooth shrews form in addition to the Soricinae (also Rotzahnspitzmäuse ) and the Myosoricinae one of the three subfamilies of shrews within the insectivores. The subfamily was first described scientifically in 1872 by Henri Milne -Edwards. Originally the genera Congosorex, Myosorex and Surdisorex were included in the Crocidurinae. Today they form the Myosoricinae.

Within the Crocidurinae about 200 species can be distinguished that are assigned to nine genera. The vast number of species is accounted for by ( authentics ) White Tooth shrews ( Sorex ) with about 170 species. The genera of Crocidurinae are:

  • The ( authentics ) White Tooth shrews ( Crocidura ), which are common with about 170 species mainly in Africa and Southeast Asia.
  • The Pied desert shrew ( Diplomesodon pulchellum ) lives in southern Russia and Central Asia
  • The Kelaart - long claws shrew ( Feroculus feroculus ) in Sri Lanka
  • The Congo Eyelash shrews ( Paracrocidura ) with three species in central Africa
  • The Ruwenzori Shrew ( Ruwenzorisorex suncoides ) endemic only in the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa
  • The armored shrew ( Scutisorex somereni ) in Central Africa
  • The Pearson - long claws shrew ( Solisorex pearsoni ) in Sri Lanka
  • The thick tail shrews ( Suncus ) with about 15 species in southern Europe, in Africa and in the southern and southeastern Asia
  • Sylvisorex with 10 species in central and southern Africa

Documents

  • Shrews
  • Soricidae
Laurasiatheria Henri Milne Edwards Asian house shrew Red-toothed shrew Congo shrew Hero shrew Pearson's long-clawed shrew Don E. Wilson
207591
de