Publication details
Two new species of Crocidura (Mammalia: Soricidae) from Ethiopia and updates on the Ethiopian shrew fauna
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Vertebrate Biology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.20064 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.25225/jvb.20064 |
| Keywords | shrews; Crocidurinae; East Africa; taxonomy; phylogeny; diversity; new records |
| Description | We describe two new species of white-toothed shrews from south-western and central Ethiopia, based on recent collections and an application of morphological and genetic methods, Crocidura similiturba sp. nov. and Crocidura makeda sp. nov. Comparisons are provided with other Crocidura species known to occur in the country. Both new species are currently known only from the Ethiopian Highlands. Furthermore, we provide new geographical records and discuss biogeographical patterns in the country. New molecular data, even if based primarily on mitochondrial cytochrome b, suggests substantial divergence within afrotropical Suncus megalura, suggesting that the East African lineage might be considered separated at the species level - Suncus sorella (Thomas, 1897), stat. nov. Molecular data support a monophyly of the Glade, grouping most Crocidura species endemic to Ethiopia (the East African subclade of the Old World Glade), but also indicates additional colonisations of Ethiopian Plateau from East and Central Africa in the past. The remarkable number of endemics shows that Ethiopia is an important centre for the Crocidura radiation, as is the case for other groups of non-flying terrestrial vertebrates. |