Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus): range expansion northward

Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus): range expansion northward

We identified three individuals of the Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus) in Estonia, expanding the known distribution range of the species to the north by 500 km from the most northern location in Lithuania and over 700 km from Poland. The identification of the species in Estonia, the most northern known locality, was based on the position of mental foramen, height of coronoid process (>4.3 mm), and Libois index (

___

  • Balčiauskas L, Balčiauskienė L (2012). Mediterranean water shrew, Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907 – a new mammal species for Lithuania. North-West J Zool 8: 367–369.
  • Balčiauskas L, Balčiauskienė L, Baltrūnaitė L (2010). Root vole, Microtus oeconomus, in Lithuania: changes in distribution range. Folia Zool 59: 267–277.
  • Balčiauskas L, Balčiauskienė L, Timm U (2014). Bergmann’s rule for Neomys fodiens in the middle of the distribution range. Cent Eur J Biol 9: 1147–1154.
  • Barti L (2006). Az állkapcsi lyuk (Foramen mentale) helyzete, mint kiegészítõ határozóbélyeg a Neomys fajok (Mammalia, Insectivora Soricidae) biztosabb elkülönítésére. Acta Siculica 1: 191–199 (in Hungarian).
  • Burns CE, Johnston KM, Schmitz OJ (2003). Global climate change and mammalian species diversity in U.S. national parks. P Natl Acad Sci USA 100: 11474–11477.
  • Carroll C (2007). Interacting effects of climate change, landscape conversion, and harvest on carnivore populations at the range margin: marten and lynx in the northern Appalachians. Conserv Biol 21: 1092–1104.
  • Chen CI, Hill JK, Ohlemüller R, Roy DB, Thomas CD (2011). Rapid range shifts of species associated with high levels of climate warming. Science 333: 1024–1026.
  • Drees C, Brandmayr P, Buse J, Dieker P, Gürlich S, Habel J, Harry I, Härdtle W, Matern A, Meyer H et al. (2011). Poleward range expansion without a southern contraction in the ground beetle Agonum viridicupreum (Coleoptera, Carabidae). ZooKeys 100: 333–352.
  • Esmaeili HR, Gholamhosseini G, Teimory A, Kryštufek B (2008). Noteworthy record of the Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus) from South-Western Iran (Mammalia: Soricomorpha). Turk J Zool 32: 163–166.
  • Franco AMA, Hill JK, Kitschke K, Collingham YC, Roy DB, Fox R, Huntley B, Thomas CD (2006). Impacts of climate warming and habitat loss on extinctions at species’ low-latitude range boundaries. Glob Change Biol 12: 1545–1553.
  • Hickling R, Roy DB, Hill JK, Fox R, Thomas CD (2006). The distribution of a wide range of taxonomic groups are spreading polewards. Glob Change Biol 12: 450–455.
  • Kashtalian AP (2005). Soricidae of Belarus – modern status and geographical distribution. In: Merritt JF, Churchfield S, Hutterer R, Sheftel BI, editors. Advances in the Biology of Shrews II. New York, NY, USA: International Society of Shrew Biologists.Kryštufek B, Quadracci A (2008). Effects of latitude and allopatry on body size variation in European water shrews. Acta Theriol 53: 39–46.
  • Kryštufek B, Vohralík V (2001). Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus: Introduction, Checklist, Insectivora. Koper, Slovenia: Knijžnica Annales Majora.
  • La Sorte FA, Thompson FR (2007). Poleward shifts in winter ranges of North American birds. Ecology 88: 1803–1812.
  • Levinsky I, Skov F, Svenning JC, Rahbek C (2007). Potential impacts of climate change on the distributions and diversity patterns of European mammals. Biodivers Conserv 16: 3803–3816.
  • Libois RM (1986). Biogeography and ecology of the water shrews (genus Neomys) in Belgium and Luxemburg. Cahiers d’Ethologie Appliquee 6: 101–120.
  • López-Fuster MJ, Ventura J, Miralles M, Castién E (1990). Craniometrical characteristics of Neomys fodiens (Pennant, 1771) (Mammalia, Insectivora) from the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. Acta Theriol 35: 269–276.
  • Mori E, Sforzi A, Di Febbraro M (2013). From the Apennines to the Alps: recent range expansion of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L., 1758 (Mammalia: Rodentia: Hystricidae) in Italy. Ital J Zool 80: 469–480.
  • Moritz C, Patton JL, Conroy CJ, Parra JL, White GC, Beissinger SR (2008). Impact of a century of climate change on small-mammal communities in Yosemite National Park, USA. Science 322: 261–264.
  • Niethammer J, Krapp F (1990). Handbuch der Saugetiere Europas. Band 3 (Insektenfresser, Herrentiere). Wiesbaden, Germany: Aula-Verlag (in German).
  • Obertaniec J (1979). Występowanie rzęsorka mniejszego, Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907 (Insectivora) na Pomorzu. Przeg Zool 23: 172–173 (in Polish).
  • Ochocińska D, Taylor JRE (2003). Bergmann’s rule in shrews: geographical variation of body size in Palearctic Sorex species. Biol J Linn Soc 78: 365–381.
  • Parmesan C (2006). Ecological and evolutionary responses to recent climate change. Annu Rev Ecol Evol S 37: 637–669.
  • Parmesan C, Yohe G (2003). A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature 421: 37–42.
  • Peman E (1983). Biometría y sistemática del género Neomys, Kaup 1771 (Mammalia, Insectivora), en el País Vasco. Munibe 35: 115–148. (in Spanish).
  • Popov VV, Zidarova SA (2008). Patterns of craniometric variability of Neomys fodiens and Neomys anomalus (Mammalia, Insectivora) in Bulgaria – role of abiotic and biotic factors. Acta Zool Bulgar 60: 171–185.
  • Pucek Z, editor (1984). Identification Keys on Polish mammals. Warsaw, Poland: PAN.
  • Rolland C (2008). Clé d’identification des micro-mammifères de Rhône-Alpes. Lyon, France: CORA Faune Sauvage.
  • Rowe RJ, Finarelli JA, Rickart E (2010). Range dynamics of small mammals along an elevational gradient over an 80-year interval. Glob Change Biol 16: 2930–2943.
  • Spitzenberger F (1999). Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907. In: Mitchell-Jones AJ, Amori G, Bogdanowicz W, Kryštufek B, Reijnders PJH, Spitzenberger F, Stubbe M, Thissen JBM, Vohralík V, Zima J, editors. The Atlas of European Mammals. London, UK: Academic Press, pp. 58–59.
  • StatSoft, Inc. (2010). Electronic Statistics Textbook. Tulsa, OK, USA: StatSoft.
  • Thomas CD, Gillingham PK, Bradbury RB, Roy DB, Anderson BJ, Baxter JM, Bourn NAD, Crick HQP, Findon RA, Fox R et al. (2012). Protected areas facilitate species’ range expansions. P Natl Acad Sci USA 109: 14063–14068.
  • Walther GR, Post E, Convey P, Menzel A, Parmesan C, Beebee TJC, Fromentin JM, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Bairlein F (2002). Ecological responses to recent climate change. Nature 416: 389–395.
  • Wilson RJ, Gutiérrez D, Gutiérrez J, Martínez D, Agudo R, Monserrat VJ (2005). Changes to the elevational limits and extent of species ranges associated with climate change. Ecol Lett 8: 1138–1146.
  • Yom-Tov Y, Yom-Tov J (2005). Global warming, Bergmann’s rule and body size in the masked shrew Sorex cinereus Kerr in Alaska. J Anim Ecol 74: 803–808.