Sorex lyelli
| Mount Lyell Shrew
(Sorex lyelli) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Suborder: | Erinaceota |
| Superfamily: | Soricoidea |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Subfamily: | Soricinae |
| Tribe: | Soricini |
| Genus: | Sorex |
| Subgenus: | Otisorex |
| Species group: | Sorex cinereus group |
| Binomial details | |
| Sorex lyelli C. H. Merriam, 1902 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Description
From Hall & Kelson (1959): "Upper parts brownish; underparts pale olive-gray or smoke-gray; tail bicolored."
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
| Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 88–108 | 36–43 | 11–12 | 6 | |
| rangewide | Wilson & Ruff (editors, 1999) | 88–108 | 38–43 | 4–5 |
Skull
| Sorex lyelli skull characters | |
|---|---|
| units in mm | |
| Skull | |
| Condylobasal length: | 15.2–15.4 (Hall & Kelson, 1959) |
| Postmandibular canal: | Absent |
| Dental | |
| Upper unicuspids: | 5 |
| Unicuspid notes: | U3≥U4 |
| Tines present: | Yes |
| Tine size: | NA |
From Hall & Kelson (1959): "3rd unicuspid tooth equal to or larger than 4th; skull similar to that of S. cinereus but wider interorbitally and having more nearly flattened braincase."
Diagnosis from Jameson & Peeters (2004): "Inner side of lower jaw without postmandibular canal; inner (median) surface of unicuspid teeth with pigmented ridge; Third upper unicuspid larger than fourth."
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Holotype: USNM 109530. Sorex lyelli. Young adult male. Mount Lyell, Tuolumne County, California. Collected 29 August 1901. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 109530. Sorex lyelli. Young adult male. Mount Lyell, Tuolumne County, California. Collected 29 August 1901. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 109530. Sorex lyelli. Young adult male. Mount Lyell, Tuolumne County, California. Collected 29 August 1901. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 109530. Sorex lyelli. Arrows point to each of the five unicuspids The third unicuspid is equal to or larger than the fourth. The fifth unicuspid is minute.
Taxonomic notes
From Woodman (2018): "Subgenus Otisorex; Sorex cinereus group. Within the Beringian clade of the Sorex cinereus group, S. lyelli is a member of a subclade that also includes S. preblei and two undescribed western North American species (Hope et al., 2012)."
Similar species
References
Hall ER, Kelson KR. 1959. The Mammals of North America. New York (USA): The Ronald Press Company.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Wilson DE, Ruff S, editors. 1999. The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Washington D.C. (USA): Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press.
Woodman N. 2018. American Recent Eulipotyphla: nesophontids, solenodons, moles, and shrews in the New World. Washington D.C. (USA): Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.1943-6696.650.