2026-10-11T22:40:43Z https://www.scidb.cn/oai

10.57760/sciencedb.j00139.000a9 2026-08-20T08:57:38Z

2026-08-20 Systematic revision and species diversification of the genus Episoriculus (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), with descriptions of two new species doi:10.57760/sciencedb.j00139.000a9 en Small insectivorous shrews of the genus Episoriculus (Soricidae: Nectogalini) are distributed primarily across the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains. The taxonomy of the genus has remained unstable because earlier classifications relied mainly on morphology and geographically restricted materials. We conducted extensive field surveys across the region, sequenced two mitochondrial and six nuclear genes, and generated complete mitogenomes for representative operational taxonomic units (OTUs) to evaluate phylogenetic relationships. We also measured five external and 19 craniodental characters to evaluate morphometric variation. The analyses identify two previously unrecognized species, E. gaoligongensis sp. nov. from the Gaoligong Mountains of Yunnan and Medog in southeastern Xizang, and E. damuensis sp. nov. endemic to Medog. Our integrative evidence further supports recognition of eight valid species within Episoriculus: E. caudatus, E. leucops, E. macrurus, E. sacratus, E. soluensis, E. umbrinus, E. gaoligongensis sp. nov., and E. damuensis sp. nov. We treat E. baileyi as a subspecies of E. leucops and clarify morphological delimitation criteria and distribution ranges for these taxa. Divergence-time estimates suggest that major splits within Episoriculus occurred from the Miocene to the Pleistocene, broadly consistent with a history shaped by interacting geological, climatic, ecological, and geographic processes in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains. More broadly, our results highlight the importance of integrative taxonomy and caution against relying on short mitochondrial fragments alone when delimiting species in rapidly diversifying montane mammals. Small mammals; Taxonomy; Phylogeny; New species; Himalaya; Hengduan Mountains ZhongZheng Chen Yicheng Shen Min Zhang Xiaoxin Pei Yifan Xu Wenyu Song Zhongxu Zhu Kenneth Otieno Onditi Xuelong Jiang EMBARGO https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ dataset Science Data Bank