Sicilian shrew

Sicilian shrew[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Soricidae
Genus:	Crocidura
Species:	C. sicula
Binomial name
Crocidura sicula Miller, 1900
Sicilian shrew range

The Sicilian shrew (Crocidura sicula) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Sicily (Italy) and Gozo (Malta). Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland.

Subspecies

Four subspecies of the Sicilian shrew are found:

Crocidura sicula ssp. calypso

The species that is found on the island of Gozo (part of Malta) has recently been defined as a different subspecies.^[3]

Crocidura sicula ssp. sicula

This subspecies is native to the island of Sicily.^[3]

Crocidura sicula ssp. aegatensis

This subspecies is found only on the Aegadian Islands.^[3]

Crocidura sicula ssp. esuae

This subspecies is known as fossil form from the Middle Pleistocene of Sicily.

See also

• Endemic Maltese wildlife

References

1. Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Insectivore Specialist Group (1996 title = Crocidura sicula). {{{title}}}. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
3. http://www.geog.plym.ac.uk/malta/Eco1.htm

• Sarà M. & Vitturi R. "Crocidura populations (Mammalia, Soricidae) from the sicilian–maltese insular area" (PDF). Hystrix, 1996; 8 (1–2): 121–132.