Speciation of the Wandering ShrewFindley, James S. (James Smith)
Science
Speciation of the Wandering Shrew
Findley, James S. (James Smith)
Shrews
_Marginal records._--BRITISH COLUMBIA: Okanagan; Westbridge;
Kuskonook; Cranbrook. MONTANA: Flathead Lake; 6 mi. E Hamilton;
Prospect Creek. IDAHO: Cedar Mtn.; New Meadows; Alturas Lake; 10 mi.
SE Irwin. WYOMING: 13 mi. N and 2 mi. W Afton; 6 mi. N and 2 mi. E
Sage. IDAHO: 1 mi. W Bancroft; Swan Lake. UTAH: Beaver Creek, South
Fork, Ogden River; Midway Fish Hatchery; west side Deep Creek Mts.,
Queen of Sheba Canyon, 8000 ft. NEVADA: Baker Creek (Hall, 1946:120);
Reese River (_ibid._); 2 mi. S Hinds Hot Springs (_ibid._).
CALIFORNIA: Mono Lake (Jackson, 1928:110); near Mammoth; Alvord; Mount
Conness; Donner; Buck Ranch (Jackson, 1928:110); Warner Creek, Drake
Hot Springs (_ibid._); Canyon Creek; Cuddeback (Jackson, 1928:105);
Novato Point (_ibid._), thence northward along the coast to
WASHINGTON: Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. BRITISH COLUMBIA: Port
Moody.
=Sorex vagrans obscuroides= new subspecies
_Type._--First year female, skin and skull; No. 30064/42074, U. S.
Biol. Surv. Coll.; obtained on August 9, 1891, by Frank Stephens from
Bishop Creek, 6600 ft., Inyo Co., California, original no. 811.
_Range._--The Sierra Nevada of California, north at least to El Dorado
County, intergrading northerly with _S. v. vagrans_.
_Diagnosis._--Size medium for the species; average and extreme
measurements of 5 topotypes are: total length, 107 (103-112); tail, 47
(45-50); hind foot, 12.8 (12-13.5). Skull relatively broad
interorbitally; color of dorsum in summer pelage nearest (17'''_k_)
Olive Brown.
_Comparisons._--Differs from _S. v. vagrans_, with which it
intergrades to the north, in: longer tail and total length; skull
larger and relatively broader interorbitally; color in summer grayer
(less reddish), the lighter subterminal color bands of the hair often
showing through the darker tips and imparting a grizzled appearance to
the dorsum. Differs from _S. v. parvidens_ to the south in: skull
relatively broader interorbitally and less flattened; teeth slightly
larger.
_Remarks._--_S. v. obscuroides_ has long been called _S. v. obscurus_.
In fact, _obscuroides_ is separated from the range of _obscurus_ by
the intervening, smaller subspecies _S. v. vagrans_. _S. v.
obscuroides_ resembles _S. v. obscurus_ in color and size but the
skull is smaller, although relatively slightly broader. The
resemblance in color is possibly due to the fact that _obscuroides_,
like _obscurus_, is a high mountain form. _S. v. obscuroides_
intergrades with _S. v. vagrans_ along the crest of the Sierra between
Yosemite National Park and Lassen Peak and on the eastern slope of the
Sierra from approximately Mammoth northward. Specimens from Donner are
intergrades but are closest to _S. v. vagrans_. Although all specimens
from Lassen Peak are referable to _S. v. vagrans_, some show cranial
characters of _obscuroides_.
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