Taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of Phillips' small-eared shrew, Cryptotis phillipsii (Schaldach, 1966), from Oaxaca, Mexico (Mammalia: Insectivora: Soricidae)

摘要

The name Cryptotis peregrina (Merriam, 1895) previously encompassed two separate populations of a small-eared shrew of the Cryptotis mexicana-group inhabiting the Sierra de Cuatro Venados and the Sierra de Miahuatlan in Oaxaca, Mexico. Analysis of museum specimens from these two populations, including the type series of C. peregrina, indicates that they are neither conspecific nor even sister taxa. We taxonomically restrict the name C. peregrina to populations in the Sierra de Cuatro Venados and adjoining Sierra Yucuyacua, whereas the name Cryptotis phillipsii (Schaldach, 1966) is available for the population in the Sierra de Miahuatlan. Moreover, we demonstrate that C. phillipsii is the most primitive member of the C. mexicana-group, whereas, C. peregrina is one of the more derived members of the group.