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 175. Himalayan Water Shrew Chimarrogale himalayica French: Chimarrogale de I'Himalaya / German: Himalaya-Wasserspitzmaus / Spanish: Musgano del Himalaya Taxonomy. Crossopus himalayicus Gray, 1842 , “ India .” Chimarrogale himalayica used to include leander as a synonym, which has been recognized as a valid species, and is characterized by high intraspecific genetic diversity but conservative craniodental morphology, so it could still contain undescribed species. Distributional boundary between subspecies himalayica and C. leander is entirely unclear; distribution of himalayica in China might be limited to the south-west. Two subspecies recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. C.h.himalayicaGray,1842—widelydistributedinmiddletohighmountainsinSHimalaya(NW&NEIndia,Nepal,andBhutan),SWC.h.(SETibet[=Xizang],Sichuan,Yunnan,andprobablyGuizhouandGuangxi),NMyanmar,Laos,andN&CVietnam. C. h. varennei Thomas, 1927 — S Vietnam (Kon Tum, Dak Lak, and Lam Dong provinces). Descriptive notes. Head-body 96-129 mm, tail 62-98 mm, hindfoot 19-26 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Condylo-incisive lengths are 26-28-1 mm, and tooth rows are 11:2-12-8 mm. Dorsal pelage of the Himalayan Water Shrew is black, ventral surface is ash gray, and color changes gradually from dorsum to venter. Dorsum has scattered white-tipped guard hairs, especially on lateral sides and rump. Fringe of whitish hairs occurs along margins of forefeet and hindfeet and toes. Tail is bicolored, being blackish brown above and white below, covered by white hair. Ventral keel is present on tail. Braincase is bony, flattened, and enlarged in lateral view. There are three upper unicuspids. I' has long and robust apex and low talon (posterior cusp) that is obviously lower than first upper unicuspid. Cusps of teeth are unpigmented. Habitat. Montane moderately swift rivers and clear fastflowing streams running through broad-leaved and premontane conifer forests at elevations of 610-3048 m. The Himalayan Water Shrew is sympatrically distributed with the Elegant Water Shrew (N. elegans ) in south-western China but at different elevations. Food and Feeding. Himalayan Water Shrews have been recorded foraging for aquatic invertebrates. Breeding. No information. Activity patterns. The Himalayan Water Shrew is semi-aquatic. It is presumably similar to the other species of Chimarrogale , swimming in rivers and streams and moving along their banks to higher ground. Most individuals were captured at night, and they have never been observed swimming during the day. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (including C. himalayica and C. leander ). In south-western China, the Himalayan Water Shrew occurs in several protected areas. The speciesis harvested for local medical purposes. Bibliography. Hoffmann (1987), Yuan Shouli et al. (2013).