Armenian shrew
{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Armenian shrew
| image =
| status = DD | status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Crocidura
| species = armenica
| authority = Gureev, 1963
| synonyms =
| range_map = Armenian Shrew area.png
| range_map_caption = Armenian shrew range
}}
The Armenian shrew (Crocidura armenica) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Armenia.
Taxonomy
Crocidura armenicai was named in 1963 by Gureev. It was known only from the two type specimens, both of which were damaged.{{Cite journal |last1=Voyta |first1=Leonid L. |last2=Petrova |first2=Tatyana V. |last3=Panitsina |first3=Valentina A. |last4=Bodrov |first4=Semyon Yu. |last5=Winkler |first5=Viola |last6=Kryuchkova |first6=Lyudmila Yu. |last7=Abramson |first7=Natalia I. |date=2024-06-18 |title=A Cybertaxonomic Revision of the "Crocidura pergrisea" Species Complex with a Special Focus on Endemic Rocky Shrews: Crocidura armenica and Crocidura arispa (Soricidae) |journal=Biology |language=en |volume=13 |issue=6 |pages=448 |doi=10.3390/biology13060448 |doi-access=free |pmid=38927328 |pmc=11200727 |issn=2079-7737 }} It is a member of the "pergrisea" species complex,{{Cite journal |last1=Stakheev |first1=V.V. |last2=Lissovsky |first2=A.A. |last3=Obolenskaya |first3=E.V. |date=2024-05-27 |title=The first record of the white-toothed rock shrew from "pergrisea" complex (Mammalia: Soricidae: Crocidura) on the territory of Russian Federation |url=http://kmkjournals.com/upload/PDF/RJT/23/ther23_1_25-30.pdf |journal=Russian Journal of Theriology |language=en |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=25–30 |doi=10.15298/rusjtheriol.23.1.03 |issn=1682-3559}} which is taxonomically controversial, and armenicai was not always considered a valid species: for instance Zitsev (1993) thought that it might be a subspecies of C. pergrisea, Hutterer (1993) and Kryštufek and Vohralík (2005) considered it a full species, while the 2018 Handbook of the Mammals of the World did not list it.{{Cite journal |last1=Bannikova |first1=Anna Andreevna |last2=Lisenkova |first2=Alexandra Andreevna |last3=Solovyeva |first3=Evgeniya Nikolaevna |last4=Abramov |first4=Alexei Vladimirovich |last5=Sheftel |first5=Boris Ilyich |last6=Kryštufek |first6=Boris |last7=Lebedev |first7=Vladimir Svyatoslavovich |date=2023-05-12 |title=The first phylogenetic data on the elusive shrews of the Crocidura pergrisea species complex |url=http://www.italian-journal-of-mammalogy.it/The-first-phylogenetic-data-on-the-elusive-shrews-of-the-Crocidura-pergrisea-species,163521,0,2.html |journal=Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy |language=english |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=33–38 |doi=10.4404/hystrix-00590-2022 |issn=0394-1914}} A 2024 study, using micro-CT scanning and genetic data, tentatively reanalyzed Crocidura armenica as a full species, and identified several new specimens from museum collections. They found that it was relatively close genetically to Crocidura arispa, but that there was a distinct difference in the skull and mandible shape.
Description
The Armenian shrew is around {{Convert|60|mm|in}} long, with a {{Convert|45|mm|in}} tail. The fur is grey, with a white stomach. It changes shades in the winter and summer. It can be distinguished by the small skull and by characteristics of the teeth.{{Cite book |last=Gureev |first=A. |url=https://www.zin.ru/labs/theriology/eng/publications/index.html |title=The Fauna of the USSR, Mammals, Volume 4, Issue 2, Insectivorous: Hedgehogs, Moles, and Shrews (Erinaceidae, Talpidae, Soricidae). |publisher=Izdatel’stvo Nauka |year=1979 |pages=401–402 |language=ru}}
There is minimal information on the behavior, habitat, and distribution of the Armenian shrew, which is not very well known.{{Citation |last=Parfitt |first=Simon A. |title=Rodents, Lagomorphs and Insectivores from Azokh Cave |date=2016 |work=Azokh Cave and the Transcaucasian Corridor |series=Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology |pages=163–176 |editor-last=Fernández-Jalvo |editor-first=Yolanda |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-24924-7_7 |access-date=2025-04-07 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-24924-7_7 |isbn=978-3-319-24924-7 |editor2-last=King |editor2-first=Tania |editor3-last=Yepiskoposyan |editor3-first=Levon |editor4-last=Andrews |editor4-first=Peter}} It was first found in Armenia and thought to be endemic, but a 2024 paper tentatively identified as the Armenian shrew several specimens found in Azerbaijan. Shrews of the "perigisea" group can be found in rocky habitats.
Sources
{{Reflist}}
{{Soricomorpha|C1.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q305376}}
Category:Endemic fauna of Armenia