A new species of the genus Soriculus (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from Medog, Tibet, China, based on morphological and molecular data

Zhang, Tao; Yang, Siyu; Jiang, Haijun; Gu, Lin; Zou, Qingfang; Fu, Changkun; Guo, Keji; Zhang, Tong; Liu, Shaoying; Chen, Shunde

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1262.164459

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Article: A new species of the genus Soriculus (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from Medog, Tibet, China, based on morphological and molecular data

Title

A new species of the genus Soriculus (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from Medog, Tibet, China, based on morphological and molecular data

By

Zhang, Tao
Yang, Siyu
Jiang, Haijun
Gu, Lin
Zou, Qingfang
Fu, Changkun
Guo, Keji
Zhang, Tong
Liu, Shaoying
Chen, Shunde

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-12-4

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1262

Pages

175--189

Subjects

Morphology , new species , Phylogeny , shrew , small mammals , Soriculus , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1262.164459

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License Type URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/permissions
Copyright Status: In copyright. Digitized with the permission of the rights holder.
Rights Holder: Copyright held by individual article author(s).

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expand Abstract

The genus Soriculus (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla) currently comprises five recognized species, predominantly distributed in the Himalayas and the Gaoligong Mountains. During our survey of small mammals in Medog County, Tibet, China, 11 Soriculus specimens were collected. In this study, we conducted phylogenetic analyses of the genus using one mitochondrial gene ( Cytb ) and three nuclear genes ( BRCA1 , APOB , and RAG2 ) to assess the phylogenetic relationships of these specimens. The morphology of the 11 specimens was compared with other species within the genus. Our results demonstrate that these specimens represent a new species, Soriculus dexingensis sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that S. dexingensis sp. nov. forms a distinct sister clade to S. medogensis , and the Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) distances between all known species of Soriculus ranged from 0.111 to 0.187, indicating interspecific divergence. Morphologically, the new species is distinguished by a relatively longer tail and a significantly higher TL/HB ratio. The discovery of S. dexingensis sp. nov. in Medog County suggests that the diversity of Soriculus species remains underestimated. Further biodiversity surveys of small mammals across the Himalayan region are warranted.