The Water Shrew, Sorex palustris Richardson 

 (Insectivora:Soricidae), and Its Habitat in Virginia 



John F. Pagels, Leonard A. Smock, and Stephen H. Sklarew 



Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University 



Richmond, Virginia 23284-2012 



ABSTRACT - The water shrew, Sorex palustris, known from a single 

 Virginia locality in Bath County as recently as 1991, has been found at 

 four additional sites, all in Highland County. The five sites were above 

 900 m (mean = 1,000 m; range = 902-1,128 m) elevation. All sites were 

 fully-canopied first or second order streams with habitat characteristics 

 and a macroinvertebrate community typical of relatively pristine, high- 

 altitude, headwater streams. All streams were high gradient (7-14% 

 slope) and had a variety of flow and depth regimes and a predominate- 

 ly well-sorted cobble substrate with abundant woody debris. Channel 

 banks were fully vegetated and had extensive undercut areas and many 

 crevices. Riparian canopy trees at all sites were primarily northern 

 hardwoods, including yellow birch (Betula lutea) and sugar maple 

 {Acer saccharum). The macroinvertebrate community of the streams 

 was dominated by stoneflies (Plecoptera), mayflies (Ephemeroptera), 

 and midges (Diptera). 



Although the water shrew, Sorex palustris Richardson, enjoys a broad 

 distribution, including much of Canada, southwestern Alaska, and northern and 

 high elevation regions of the United States (Hall 1981, Beneski and Stinson 

 1987), the Appalachian water shrew, S. p. punctulatus Hooper, is rare and found 

 only in highly-localized boreal environments in the southern Appalachian Moun- 

 tains. In an overview of distribution and diversity of Virginia mammals, Hand- 

 ley (1992:165) described S. palustris as a "high/medium boreal species" that 

 occurs as a relict and is in danger of extirpation in Virginia. Laerm et al. (1995) 

 summarized records of S. p. punctulatus, showing its known distribution as only 

 14 counties in a seven state area extending from southwestern Pennsylvania to 

 northern Georgia. 



The water shrew was first collected in Virginia in northwestern Bath 

 County in 1974 (Pagels and Tate 1976) at the then proposed site of the upper 

 reservoir for a pumped-storage electrical generating facility. Although feared 

 lost from this site when the valley was flooded, the shrew was found in an undis- 



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