Gracile shrew mole

The gracile shrew mole (Uropsilus gracilis) is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China; populations known from Myanmar likely represent other species (see below).^[2]

Gracile shrew mole
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Talpidae
Genus:	Uropsilus
Species:	U. gracilis
Binomial name
Uropsilus gracilis (Thomas, 1911)
Gracile shrew mole range (includes U. atronates and U. nivatus range)
Synonyms
Uropsilus atronates Allen, 1923 Uropsilus nivatus Allen, 1923

The black-backed shrew mole (U. atronates) and the Snow Mountain shrew mole (U. nivatus) were formerly considered subspecies, but a 2018 phylogenetic study split them as distinct species. The study found U. gracilis to be the sister species to an undescribed species of Uropsilus, with the clade comprising both being sister to U. atronates. U. atronates and the clade containing U. gracilis likely diverged during the early-mid Pleistocene.^[2]