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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Sorex eximius
Western Pygmy Shrew

 
Scientific Name: Sorex eximius Osgood, 1901
Scientific Name Synonyms: Sorex hoyi
English Name: Western Pygmy Shrew
English Name Synonyms: American Pygmy Shrew
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: Hope, A. G., R. B. Stephens, S. D. Mueller, V. V. Tkach, and J. R. Demboski. 2020. Speciation of North American pygmy shrews (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) supports spatial but not temporal congruence of diversification among boreal species. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 129(1):41-60.
Classification Level: Species
Taxonomy Comments: Hope et al. (2020) recognize distinct eastern (Sorex hoyi) and western (Sorex eximius) species of North American pygmy shrews. This taxonomic status is accepted by the The Mammal Diversity Database of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) (2020).
Species Group: Vertebrate Animal
Species Code: M-SOHO
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Craniata Mammalia Eulipotyphla Soricidae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G4 (Jul 2022)
Provincial Status: S4S5 (Feb 2015)
BC List: Yellow
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status:
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 4 - Secure (2005)
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description:
Global Ecology Comments: Occurs in a variety of vegetative communities and habitats but generally is found in grassy or otherwise relatively mesic openings in coniferous (mainly boreal) forests (Alaska) and similar but more moist openings in forests in Canada. In the U.S. it occurs in sub-alpine and alpine forests in openings with moist soils or transition areas between more mesic and wet habitats (Beauvais and McCumber 2006).
Migration Characteristics:
(Global / Provincial)		 
    Nonmigrant:
    Local Migrant:
    Distant Migrant:
    Within Borders Migrant: 		N /
N /
N /
na /
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence)
Global Habitat Comments: Occurs in a variety of vegetative communities and habitats but generally is found in grassy or otherwise relatively mesic openings in coniferous (mainly boreal) forests (Alaska) and similar but more moist openings in forests in Canada. In the U.S. it occurs in sub-alpine and alpine forests in openings with moist soils or transition areas between more mesic and wet habitats (Beauvais and McCumber 2006).
Food Habits:
Global Food Habits Comments:
Global Phenology:
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Colonial Breeder: N
Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): / /
Elevation (m) (min / max): Global: 
Provincial: 
   
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: This species occurs in the boreal biome throughout Alaska and in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in western Canada. In the U.S., this species occurs in the northern tiers of North Dakota, Montana, in northeastern Washington state, and in Idaho where it has been detected as far south as the central part of the state. An apparently disjunct population occurs in sub-alpine and alpine forests of the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado (Hope 2022, GBIF 2022). Based on a concave hull analysis of recent location data extracted from the Global Biological Information Facility (GBIF 2022), the range extent of this species is about 6,000,000 km2.
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author: Hunting, K.
Last Updated: Jul 26, 2022
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
   
References and Related Literature
Nagorsen, D. and N. Panter. 2024. Shrews and Moles of British Columbia. Second Edition. Royal BC Museum Handbook. 239 pp.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2022. Species Summary: Sorex eximius. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Apr 24, 2024).