Armenian shrew
Species of mammal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Armenian shrew (Crocidura armenica) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Armenia.
| Armenian shrew | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Crocidura |
| Species: | C. armenica |
| Binomial name | |
| Crocidura armenica Gureev, 1963 | |
 | |
| Armenian shrew range | |
Taxonomy
Crocidura armenicai was named in 1963 by Gureev. It was known only from the two type specimens, both of which were damaged.[2] It is a member of the "pergrisea" species complex,[3] 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.[4] 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.[2]
Description
The Armenian shrew is around 60 millimetres (2.4 in) long, with a 45 millimetres (1.8 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.[5]
There is minimal information on the behavior, habitat, and distribution of the Armenian shrew, which is not very well known.[6] 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.[2] Shrews of the "perigisea" group can be found in rocky habitats.[3]