Soriculus Blyth, 1854

Chen, Zhongzheng, Pei, Xiaoxin, Hu, Jiangxiao, Song, Wenyu, Khanal, Laxman, Li, Quan & Jiang, Xuelong, 2024, Multilocus phylogeny and morphological analyses illuminate overlooked diversity of Soriculus (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), with descriptions of two new endemic species from the eastern Himalayas, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 201 (2), pp. 534-548 : 539-541

Genus Soriculus Blyth, 1854

Type species: Soriculus nigrescens ( Gray, 1842) .

Remarks: Shrews in Soriculus are medium to large sized in the tribe Nectogalini , with W 7.7–20.7 g, HB 62–93 mm; and CIL 19.2–24.5 mm ( Table 1 ). These shrews have a rather stout body and enlarged foreclaws. The dorsal pelage of the shrews varies in colour, from brown to almost black, ventral pelage slighter paler than the dorsum. The pinnae are small, but visible. The tail is about half the head and body length (TL/HB = 43–74%) and gently tapered; the tail is not sharply bicolored, and is similar in colour to the dorsal and ventral fur. The skull is robust and bony, and the coronoid process is spatulate. The dental formula of the genus is: I 3/2, C 1/0, P 2/1, M 3/3 (×2) = 30, following the tooth nomenclature of Hutterer (2005b). There are four upper unicuspids. M 3, the entoconid crest of M 1, and the labial cingulum of the lower molars are reduced. The teeth are lightly pigmented orange or reddish.

Comparisons: Soriculus can be distinguished from the other Nectogaline genera by the combination of its enlarged foreclaws, reduced M 3 and the entoconid crest of M 1, and a spatulate coronoid process. It can further be distinguished from Chodsigoa , Chimarrogale , and Nectogale by the four upper unicuspids (three in Chodsigoa , Chimarrogale , and Nectogale ). The tail of Soriculus (TL/HB <75%) is relatively shorter than Chodsigoa and Episoriculus (TL/HB> 80%). The teeth of Soriculus are lightly pigmented which differ from the unpigmented teeth in Nectogale and Chimarrogale . The normal tail of Soriculus is noticeably different than the keeled tail with long stiff hairs in Neomys .

Distribution and habitat: The genus is restricted to the Himalayas and the southern Hengduan Mountains (specifically the Gaolingong Mountains) from Nepal to northern India, Bhutan, northern Myanmar, and western China (southern Tibet and western Yunnan). Its enlarged foreclaws, small ears, and short tail indicate a semi-fossorial lifestyle. It occurs in various montane forests, open rocky areas, and in the alpine zone above the timberline at elevations from 700 m to 4500 m a.s.l..