Soricidae Author Russell A. Mittermeier Author Don E. Wilson text 2018 2018-07-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos 332 551 book chapter http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6870843 978-84-16728-08-4 6870843 22. Gansu Shrew Sorex cansulus French: Musaraigne du Gansu / German: Gansu-Spitzmaus / Spanish: Musarana de Gansu Taxonomy. Sorex cansulus Thomas, 1912 , “ 46 miles [= 74 km ] S.E. of Tao-chou [= Lingtan] . 9800-10,000" [= 2987-3048 m ],” Gansu , north-western China . S. cansulus is only known from the type series. It was originally considered to be closely related to S. caecutiens but was found morphologically more similar to, and perhaps an allospecies of, S. tundrensis . Monotypic. Distribution. Known only by three specimens from two localities in S Gansu, China; its distribution might extend into N Sichuan, but a record from Tibet (= Xizang) is unlikely to be true. Descriptive notes. Head—body 62-64 mm, tail 38-43 mm, hindfoot 12 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive lengths are 18-5—19 mm, and tooth row averages 8 mm. The Gansu Shrew is small. Dorsum is grayish brown, similar to Laxmann’s Shrew ( S. caecutiens ), and venter is drab or broccoli-brown. Hands and feet are brownish white. Tail is dark brown above and lighter below. Rostrum is relatively short and wide, especially compared with Laxmann’s Shrew. Rostrum, size and shape of unicuspids are similar to those of Laxmann’s Shrew. Maximum width across upper second molars is 4-6 mm. Habitat. Broadleaf forests at elevations of ¢.3000 m. Food and Feeding. The Gansu Shrew is insectivorous. Breeding. No information. Activity patterns. No information. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Gansu Shrew was previously considered Critically Endangered. There is no new information since the original description in 1912. Bibliography. Hoffmann (1987), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Thomas (1912).