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 48. Mutable Shrew Sorex mutabilis French: Musaraigne variable / German: Variable Spitzmaus / Spanish: Musarafia mudable Taxonomy. Sorex saussurei mutabilis Merriam, 1898 , “ Reyes [= Cerca de Cuicatlan] , Oaxaca , Mexico .” Restricted by L. N. Car- raway in 2007 to “latitude 17-22°N , longi- tude 96-83°W .” Sorex mutabilis is generally included as a subspecies of S. veraepacis but is recognized here as a distinct species. In a genetic study by M. Esteva and colleagues in 2010, specimens attributed to S. mutabilis did not cluster with other S. veraepacis , in- dicating thatthey are distinct species, although more focused studies involving S. mutabilis are needed to verify this. Distributional limits between S. mutabilis and S. ixtlanensis are currently uncertain. Monotypic. Distribution. Guerrero and Oaxaca, S Mexico. Descriptive notes. Head-body 61-76 mm, tail 48-61 mm, hindfoot 13-16 mm; weight 6 g. The Mutable Shrew is medium-sized,similar to the Verapaz Shrew (S. veraepacis ). Dorsum is dark reddish brown, and venter is lighter reddish brown. Tail is ¢.80% of head-body length and uniformly dark reddish brown. Median tines of I' are well pigmented, and I is pigmented in three sections. Teeth are pigmented dark red. There are five unicuspids,first and second are largest, third is usually smaller than fourth, and fifth is very small. Habitat. Pine-oak cloud forests with deep leaflitter at elevations of ¢.700-3000 m. Food and Feeding. No information. Breeding. No information. Activity patterns. No information. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Until being named a distinct species here, the Mutable Shrew was included in the Verapaz Shrew (S. ver aepacis), which is classified as Least Concern. The Mutable Shrew might be at risk from localized habitat destruction, but additional research is needed. Bibliography. Carraway (2007, 2014l), Esteva et al. (2010), Matson & Ordénez-Garza (2017).