Sicilian shrew

The Sicilian shrew (Crocidura sicula) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Sicily (Italy) and Gozo (Malta). Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland.

Sicilian shrew[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Soricidae
Genus:	Crocidura
Species:	C. sicula
Binomial name
Crocidura sicula Miller, 1900
Sicilian shrew range

Distribution and habitat

It is present in Sicily and Ustica (C. s. sicula), in the Egadi Islands (C. s. aegatensis) and in Gozo (C. s. calypso). It lives in open environments of gariga or Mediterranean scrub but also within lyce, cork and beech forest formations, from 0 to 1,800 m (0 to 5,906 ft) above sea level. Sometimes it is also present within citrus groves and cultivated areas as well as, rarely, in rural dwellings.

Subspecies

Four subspecies of the Sicilian shrew are found:

• Crocidura sicula sicula - on the island of Sicily^[3]
• Crocidura sicula aegatensis - on the Aegadian Islands^[3]
• Crocidura sicula calypso - on the island of Gozo^[3]
• Crocidura sicula esuae - a fossil form from the Middle Pleistocene of Sicily, larger than living individuals, though other authors have suggested that this represents an extinct species that was replaced by C. sicula.^[4]

See also

• Endemic Maltese wildlife