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HOME --> CLASS MAMMALIA
--> ORDER SORICOMORPHA
--> FAMILY Soricidae
--> SUBFAMILY Crocidurinae
GENUS Suncus
| Author: | Ehrenberg, 1832. | | Citation: | In Hemprich and Ehrenberg, Symb. Phys. Mamm., 2: k. | | Type Species: | Suncus sacer Ehrenberg, 1832 (= Sorex murinus Linnaeus, 1766). | | Comments: | For placement in Crocidurinae see Repenning (1967:15). Occasionally regarded as part of Crocidura (e.g., Lekagul and McNeely, 1977:35), based on morphology (McLellan, 1994), molecular data (Motokawa et al., 2000), or chromosome homology (Biltueva et al., 2001), but accepted as a full genus by most authors. Fons et al. (1994) stated that the fauna of parasitic helmiths is completely different between Suncus and Crocidura (but the fauna of S. murinus and S. etruscus were also different). Querouil et al. (2001) compared 16s rRNA sequences of six African and Asian species of Suncus. Their results suggest paraphyly; Suncus dayi clustered next to Sylvisorex megalura (transfered here to Suncus) and the smaller species (S. etruscus, S. infinitesimus, S. remyi), while S. murinus and S. montanus formed a separate cluster, along with Ruwenzorisorex suncoides. With further knowledge it may be warranted to break up Suncus into two subgenera or genera. Suncus is available for S. murinus and allies, while Paradoxodon is available for S. etruscus and other small species. However, for several unstudied species a correct allocation is not possible yet. The name Pachyura, which had been in use for a long time, is preoccupied. Meester and Lambrechts (1971) revised the southern African species. Jenkins et al. (1998) discussed relationships among Asian species. |
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