VARIATION IN EURASIAN SHREWS OF THE GENUS CROCIDURA (INSECTIVORA:SORICIDAE) By P. D. JENKINS CONTENTS Page SYNOPSIS ............ 271 INTRODUCTION ........... 271 MATERIALS ........... 272 METHODS ............ 274 CANONICAL VARIATE ANALYSIS ........ 276 IDENTIFICATION .......... 279 VARIATION AND SYSTEMATICS ........ 282 C. fuliginosa ........... 282 C. horsfieldi ........... 285 C. suaveolens ........... 286 C. zarudnyi ........... 289 C. russula ........... 291 C. dsinezumi ........... 295 C. attenuata . . . . . . . . . . . 295 C. leucodon ........... 297 C. lasiura ........... 301 OTHER SPECIES RECORDED FROM THE AREAS OF STUDY BUT NOT INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS .......... 3O2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......... 306 REFERENCES ........... 306 SYNOPSIS An investigation including the use of a canonical variate analysis is made into the relationships between various species of Crocidura occurring in Eurasia. The status of species and their geographical variation are examined and keys are provided to aid segregation of species. C. suaveolens is the most widespread species. C. zarudnyi is regarded as a distinct species showing some affinity to C. suaveolens and to Asian C. russula. C. russula is divisible into two main groups -Europe/ Algeria and western Asia. The latter group is close to some populations of C. suaveolens. The European /Algerian group shows some association with western Asian C. leucodon. The Japanese form, C. dsinezumi, while somewhat similar to some populations of C. suaveolens and Asian C. russula, is sufficiently distinct to retain specific status. C. leucodon is also divided into European and western Asian groups and the Iranian caspica is considered to be a subspecies of the latter group. The affinities of the western Asian group of C. leucodon and C. lasiura are discussed. C. fuliginosa trichura is assigned to C. attenuata. C. dracula is allocated to C. fuliginosa and some of the forms recorded from Indonesia are considered to belong to this species. C. horsfieldi is compared with C. suaveolens but retained as a distinct species. Short notes are made on other species occurring in the area. INTRODUCTION WHITE-TOOTHED shrews of the genus Crocidura occur mainly southwards from latitude 53N in the Palaearctic, Oriental and Ethiopian regions. This report is concerned with those species from the first two regions. 19*
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