A new species of small-eared shrew (Soricidae,Cryptotis) from El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico

Abstract

AbstractThe Cryptotis goodwini species group of small-eared shrews (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) includes at least 12 species discontinuously distributed in the cloud forests from southern Mexico to Honduras. Its taxonomy is still under study, with several species described only in the last decade. Previous genetic studies have highlighted that a population from El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, previously assigned to C. goodwini, is evolutionarily divergent from the other known species. However, the available specimens from this region have not been examined rigorously. Herein, I use morphological and biogeographic analyses to evaluate the taxonomic status of this population. The results confirm that it is an independent lineage, which I describe here as a new species endemic to Mexico. Overall, this is the largest shrew within the C. goodwini group. Its morphological and genetic distinction is probably due to long-term geographic isolation in the mountains of El Triunfo. I present what is now the first and only record of C. goodwini (sensu stricto) for Mexico. Finally, I identify some priority regions to direct field surveys on the C. goodwini species group to better understand its richness and distribution.