Sorex cruzi, Andino-Madrid & Mérida Colindres & Pérez-Consuegra & Matson, 2020

Andino-Madrid, Alexandra J., Mérida Colindres, Julio E., Pérez-Consuegra, Sergio G. & Matson, John O., 2020, A new species of long-tailed shrew of the genus Sorex (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) from Sierra de Omoa, Honduras, Zootaxa 4809 (1) : -

Sorex cruzi , sp. nov.

Cruz’s long-tailed shrew

Holotype: UNAH20180722 , an adult female preserved in 75% ethanol with separated skull and tissue sample, collected by Alexandra J. Andino ( AJA), on July 19th, 2018.

Paratype: UNAH20180721 , one adult male preserved in ethanol with separated skull and tissue sample, collected by Alexandra J. Andino ( AJA) on July 19 th, 2018, from Cusuco National Park .

Type locality: Cantiles Camp, 1836 m, 15° 30’ 47” N, 88° 14’ 29” W, Cusuco National Park , Sierra de Omoa , Merendón Mountain System , Cortés Department, Honduras .

Etymology: This species is named in honor of Professor Gustavo Adolfo Cruz Díaz, a Honduran senior biologist, co-founder and former director of the Natural History Museum of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH-CU). Professor Cruz Díaz has dedicated his career to research and conserve the Honduran biodiversity. He also had influenced and educated several generations of young biologist in Honduras and neighboring countries, contributing enormously in the creation of the legislation of National Parks and the protection of cloud forests in Honduras.

Diagnosis: A member of the S. veraepacis species group; it lacks a postmandibular foramen and canal. Sorex cruzi sp. nov. is small compared with S. ibarrai , but only slightly smaller than S. veraepacis and S. madrensis (Tabla 1), with a proportionally longer tail (mean Tail/HB is 96.5%) and hind feet (mean HF/HB is 22.4%) than S. veraepacis and S. madrensis , and closer to S. ibarrai ; it possesses a shorter skull (GLS is 18.1–18.45 mm), with a slightly narrower interorbital breadth than S. ibarrai and S. madrensis and a much narrower palate than S. ibarrai , S. veraepacis and S. madrensis (M2.M2/PL is 62.9%); the articular condyle is higher (HAC/LM is 37.2%), but shorter in the posterior facet, than in S. ibarrai , S. veraepacis and S. madrensis (CPV/LM is 42.6% and CPP/LM is 40.7%); it has a much lower coronoid process (HCP/LM is 46.6%) ( Table 1 and 3).

Description: A small long-tailed shrew ( Table 1). Pelage is ca. 5.0 mm long at the rump; dorsal hairs are dark gray at the base and dark brown at the distal third, with dark individual hairs whitish at the tip that overcome up to 0.9 mm; the venter is slightly paler than dorsum. In dorsal view of the skull, the occipital bone is not inflated or convex between the occipital condyles ( Fig. 5a); from lateral and ventral views of the skull, the U3 is distinctively smaller than U4; while from a ventral view of the skull both unicuspids are more wider than long, with the U5 notably smaller and narrow, reaching less than the half of P3 width ( Fig. 3a). The mandible has a short and robust coronoid process. The i1 has 3 denticles, one posterior small with a shallow interdenticular space and other two well pronounced with deep interdenticular spaces ( Fig. 6).

Morphological comparisons: compared with Sorex ibarrai , S. cruzi sp. nov. has a shorter skull (mean GLS for S. ibarrai is 21.0 mm); possesses a proportionally longer tail, Almost the same length of body and head size (mean Tail/HB for S. ibarrai is 79.0% of head and body length); proportionally longer hind feet (mean HF/HB for S. ibarrai is 20.3%); slightly narrower interorbital breadth (mean IOB/GLS for S. ibarrai is 22.5%); narrower brain case (mean of CB/GLS for S. ibarrai is 49.3%); slightly shorter upper molariform toothrow (mean LMD/GLS for S. ibarrai is 25.1%); proportionally narrower palate (mean M2.M2/PL for S. ibarrai is 65.0%); much lower coronoid process (mean for HCP/LM for S. ibarrai is 51.6%); proportionally higher articular condyle (mean of HAC/LM for S. ibarrai is 35.4%); and shorter articular condyle at the posterior facet (mean for CPP/LM is 44.0% and CPV/LM is 46.2% for S. ibarrai ). Compared with Sorex veraepacis , S. cruzi sp. nov. has a shorter skull (GLS for S. veraepacis is 20.3 mm); proportionally longer tail (Tail/HB for S. veraepacis is 67.1%); much longer hind feet in proportion to head and body length (HF/HB for S. veraepacis is 19.7%); much narrower brain case (CB/GLS for S. veraepacis is 49.3%); narrower palate (M2.M2/PL for S. veraepacis is 64.9%); much lower coronoid process (HCP/LM is 51.2% for S. veraepacis ); proportionally higher articular condyle (HAC/LM for S. veraepacis is 34.6%); and shorter articular condyle at the posterior facet (CPP/LM 44.5% and CPV/LM is 49.6% for S. veraepacis ). Compared with Sorex madrensis , S. cruzi sp. nov. has a shorter skull (mean of GLS is 19.3 mm for S. madrensis ); it possesses a longer tail (mean of Tail/HB is 70.4% for S. madrensis ); it has proportionally longer hind feet (mean of HF/HB is 19.9% for S. madrensis ); slightly narrower interorbital breadth (mean for IOB/GLS is 22.2% for S. madrensis ); narrower brain case (mean CB/GLS is 49.7% for S. madrensis ); slightly shorter upper molariform toothrow (mean LMD/GLS for S. madrensis is 25.3%); much narrower palate (mean M2.M2/PL for S. madrensis is 66.0%); much lower coronoid process (mean HCP/LM is 51.2% for S. madrensis ); proportionally higher articular condyle (HAC/LM for S. madrensis is 34.8%); and shorter articular condyle at the posterior facet (CPP/LM 43.7% and CPV/LM is 46.2% for S. madrensis ).

Ecology: This species is only known from mixed pine and broadleaf forest at highlands (1,836 m a.s.l.) of Cusuco National Park. This park is one of the better-preserved areas with primary forest remnants of pine ( Pinus sp.) and liquidambar (Liquidambar sp.), dwarf forest ecosystem patches categorized as hepatic or mossy forest, and heather wind scrubs typified by short vegetation (Canopy <10 m high) ( Townsend & Wilson 2006b). Mammal associates to this habitat include: Cryptotis mccarthyi , Peromyscus sp., Heteromys desmarestianus, Scotinomys teguina and Reithrodontomys mexicanus (AJA Personal observation).