Crocidura anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, 2019

Zhang, Heng, Wu, Guiyou, Wu, Yanqing, Yao, Jianfei, You, Shuo, Wang, Chencheng, Cheng, Feng, Chen, Jingjing, Tang, Mingxia, Li, Chunlin & Zhang, Baowei, 2019, A new species of the genus Crocidura from China based on molecular and morphological data (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), Zoological Systematics 44 (4), pp. 279-293 : 286-289

Crocidura anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov.

Diagnosis. The new species is a medium-sized Crocidura . The general colour of the body, including the tail, is graybrown. The venter is slightly lighter colored than the dorsum. There are not long and dark guard hairs present among the gray hairs on either dorsal or ventral side of body ( Fig. 4 ). Dorsal surfaces of hands and feet are semi-naked, appearing pinkish brown, with sparse brown hairs on the digits. In general, the total length of this species is 60.9–78.1 mm, the tail length 48.3–59.2 mm, the ear height 8.7–9.3 mm, and the weight 10.5–13.5 g ( Table 5 ).

The skull is slightly flimsy, lambdoid crest clearly visible, the sagittal crest is obvious and protruding. The teeth are white, the upper incisor is vertical and downwardly pointing, the lower incisor teeth protruding to the front. Eight teeth, including three unicuspid teeth in the upper row; six teeth, including an incisor in the mandible in the lower jaw. The condyloincisive length is 20.8–22.4 mm, braincase height 5.5– 5.5 mm, and braincase width 9.1–9.9 mm. The length of dentary, including incisors, is 13.9–14.1 mm, while the depth of the dentary is 5.6–6.4 mm ( Table 5 ).

Description. It has small eyes, round ears, and the bear extends behind the ear. The dorsal pelage is gray-brown and slightly darker; while the venter is slightly paler than the dorsum. The tail color is similar to that of the pelage. The slender tail’s length is only 76% of the head length, and semi-nude, with sparse bristled hairs on the proximal half, having small short hairs, basally attenuated, with long and protruding hair at the end of the tail. The skin is semi-nude on the back of the palm and sole, showing pink skin, with sparse short brown hairs around the ankle. The soles of the feet are moderately pigmented, with small fleshy protuberances, ring-shaped in the palmar.

Skull with a long and moderately narrow rostrum, narrow maxillary region, and relatively broad interorbital region. The suture between the occipital and parietal bones is depressed and obviously anterior to the lambdoidal crest, giving the impression of a prominent lambdoidal crest. The posterlingual border of the teeth is not so rounded; the posterior border of the teeth is deeply concave. The posterobuccal crest of the paracone of M 2 forming a smooth W-shaped loph in unworn dentition. External and skull measurements (mm) of the holotype (AhuHST1702) ( Fig. 5 ): GL 19.8, BL 17.7, BSL 17.0, CIL 21.2, PL 8.6 , PAL 7.8, PPL 8.7, LR 8.9, BB 9.5 , LIOB 4.6 , PW1 6.6, PW2 2.5, BR1 2.4, BR2 6.9, BPM 1.2 , BMM 1.4 , HB 5.2, I-UN3 4.5, UTRL 10.1 , ML 11.3 , LDI 14.8, LDT1 6.6, LDT2 7.8, DD 6.3, MH 5.4 .

Holotype. Specimen AhuHST1702, an adult female, from the Monkey Valley, Mount Huang Scenic Area, Anhui Province, China (30°05′04.36″N, 118°08′40.04″E; elev. 562 m), June 2017, coll. H. Zhang, C.C. Wang and L. Zhou.

Paratypes. Four females, AhuHST1501, AhuHST1502, AhuHST1503 (30°04′35.47″N, 118°09′05.43″E; elev. 508 m), and AhuHST1703 (30°05′04.57″N, 118°08′36.12″E; elev. 567 m), Monkey Valley, Mount Huang Scenic Area, Anhui province, China, April 2015 and May 2017, coll. L.F. Qian, H. Zhang, C.C. Wang and L. Zhou. One male, AhuHST1701, Monkey Valley , Mount Huang Scenic Area, Anhui province, China (30°05′04.36″N, 118°08′40.04″E; elev. 562 m), May 2017, coll. H. Zhang, C.C. Wang and L. Zhou.

Distribution. Currently, the new species is only known from two tea plantations in the wild Monkey Valley, Mount Huang, Anhui Province, China.

Etymology. The specific name is referring to its type locality, Anhui Province, China.

Common names. We suggest “ Anhui white-toothed shrew” as an English common name of the new species, and “ ·• •- ” as a Chinese common name.

Comparisons. The new species shares similarities in hair color and head and body size to C. attenuata , but is distinguished by having a longer tail length and ear height; the ratio of TL to HBL of C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov. is 76.4%, greater than that of C. attenuata (68.1%) ( Table 3 ). The skull of C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov. has a similar size as in C. attenuata ( Table 5 ) but the most obvious difference is the length of the rostrum and the breadth of the rostrum at the narrowest point; the BR1 of C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov. (2.3–2.5 mm) is significantly longer than that of C. attenuata (1.7–2.1 mm). In addition, the incisors of the new species are curved in ventral, but straight in C. attenuata ( Figs 6–7 ). More significantly, the naked tooth roots in the mandible are visible in C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov., and the convex portion of the molar forms a larger angle ( Figs 6–7 ).

The new species also have obvious morphological differences with other species of Crocidura (Smith & Xie, 2010) . It is different from C. wuchihensis by the ratio of TL to HBL is 67% ( Shaw et al., 1966), rather than 76.4% in the new species. Another species, C. shantungensis is the smallest white-toothed shrew in Eurasia, similar in size to C. wuchihensis : the tail is very short, less than 70% HBL, and broad at base, tapering to tip, while the new species has a larger body and an especially longer tail.

Compared to C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov., C. fuliginosa is a very large and long-tailed shrew, with the TL usually more than 80%, but less than 90% of HBL. Its dorsal pelage is smoky brown to dark grayish black, the tail dark brown in upside and slightly paler in downside. As a contrast, C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov. is smaller and has the pelage lighter than those of C. fuliginosa . Moreover, Crocidura lasiura is also a larger shrew, with a thick tail and nearly mono-colored. Its ratio of the TL to HBL is about 45%, rather than 76.4% in the new species.

Additionally, C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li , sp. nov. also has a smaller head length (vs. C. fuliginosa and C. pullata ), smaller mandibular length (vs. C. fuliginosa ), longer tail (vs. C. pullata , C. vorax , C. rapax and C. horsfieldii ), longer forefeet (vs. C. vorax , C. rapax and C. horsfieldii ), and longer breadth and height of braincase (vs. C. pullata , C. vorax , C. rapax and C. horsfieldii ) (Jiang & Hoffman, 2001; Table 6).

Figures

Figure 4. External morphology of Crocidura anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, sp. nov. (AhuHST1702), dorsal and ventral view.

Figure 5. Images of the crania and mandible of Crocidura anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, sp. nov. (AhuHST1702).A. Crania, dorsal view. B. Crania, laterial view. C. Crania, ventral view. D. mandible.

Figure 6. Images of crania and mandibles of Crocidura anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, sp. nov. (AhuHST1703) and C. attenuata (AhuHS12).A–C. C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, sp. nov., crania, dorsal, ventral and laterial views. D. C. anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, sp. nov., mandible. E–G. C. attenuata, crania, dorsal, ventral and laterial views. H. C. attenuata, mandible.

Figure 7. Comparison of local tooth characteristics between Crocidura anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, sp. nov. (AhuHST1702) and C. attenuata (AhuHS12).