MOUNT LYELL SHREW (SOREX LYELLI) IN THE SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA, WITH COMMENTS ON ALPINE RECORDS OF SOREX

摘要

On 10 August 2005, a Mount Lyell shrew (Sorex lyelli) was collected at 3,630 in elevation in Humphreys Basin, John Muir Wilderness Area, Fresno County, California. This specimen extends the known range of S. lyelli to the South by 55 km, increases its upper elevational range by ca. 500 in, and is the first alpine record. Prior to our finding, S. lyelli had been collected only in Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolonme Counties, at. elevations of 2,100-3,156 m, typically in sub-alpine herbaceous vegetation along fast-running streams associated with riparian shrubs, and less frequently ill thickets of sub-alpine sagebrush. This record is from all alpine lakeshore well above treeline, with vegetation limited to sedges, grasses, and forbs. This specimen represents the highest elevational record for Sorex in the Sierra Nevada of California.