90. Grizzled Small-eared Shrew Cryptotis obscurus French: Musaraigne obscure / German: Grauhaarige Kleinohrspitzmaus / Spanish: Musarafa de orejas pequenas canosa Other common names: Grizzled Mexican Small-eared Shrew, Grizzled Shrew Taxonomy. Blarina obscura Merriam, 1895, “ Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico (altitude, 8,500 feet [= 2591 m]).” Restricted by L. N. Carraway in 2007 to “latitude 20-08°N, longitude 98-37°W.” Widely used specific name obscura has been changed for gender agreement L. Guevara and F. A. Cervantes in 2014 found that C. obscurus was in the C. mexicanus group along with C. mexicanus, C. nelsoni, C. phillipsii, and C. magnus and sister to C. mexicanus, with C. nelsoni sister to them both. Cryptotis obscurus was included in C. mexicanus by J. R. Choate (in 1970) and E. R. Hall in 1981 but was recognized as a distinct species by N. Woodman and R. M. Timm in 2000. Monotypic. Distribution. SW Tamaulipas, SE San Luis Potosi, NE Querétaro, Hidalgo, extreme WC Veracruz, and WC México (C Mexico). Descriptive notes. Head-body 56-75 mm, tail 20-32 mm, hindfoot 13 mm; weight 3-10 g. The Grizzled Small-eared Shrew is small, with uniquely grizzled pelage, being significantly smaller and having darker tooth pigmentation than the related Small Mexican Small-eared Shrew (C. mexicanus). Dorsum is dark grizzled silvery gray, with some individuals having reddish hue (paler and redder than the Small Mexican Smalleared Shrew). Venteris silvery gray, with brown-tipped fur, and is completely silver for distal one-fourth of venter. Tail is relatively long (c.40% head-body length), covered with short hair, and slightly bicolored, being silvery gray above and slightly lighter below. Eyes are diminutive, and ears are small and barely visible under fur. Skull has bulbous zygomatic process, and I' has two denticles and deep interdenticular space. Teeth are reddish, and there are four unicuspids. Habitat. Dense, wet temperate and subtropical cloud forest populated with pine and oak, with thick herbaceous undergrowth and leaflitter, at elevations of 1040-2500 m. Food and Feeding. The Grizzled Short-eared Shrew is insectivorous/carnivorous, feeding primarily on insects and other invertebrates. Breeding. Pregnant Grizzled Short-eared Shrews have been reported from early June to August; reproductive males have been captured in mid-August. In Hidalgo, two females with two embryos each were collected in August; another female with three embryos was captured in July. Activity patterns. Grizzled Short-eared Shrews are probably nocturnal and semi-fossorial. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (as C. obscura). Grizzled Small-eared Shrews are considered relatively common and are found in various protected areas. Nevertheless, they have a fragmented distribution, and their overall population seems to be decreasing, which might warrant reclassification as Near Threatened. The Mexican Official Regulation considers the Grizzled Smalleared Shrew as rare. Bibliography. Arroyo-Cabrales & Ceballos (2014), Baird et al. (2018), Carraway (2007), Choate (1970), Guevara & Cervantes (2014), Hall (1981), Hutterer (2005b), Roach & Naylor (2016), Woodman & Timm (2000).

Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Soricidae, pp. 332-551 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 428, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6870843