Diplomesodon pulchellus

(H. Lichtenstein, 1823)

Piebald Shrew

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Laurasiatheria
Order : Eulipotyphla
Suborder : Erinaceota
Superfamily : Soricoidea
Family : Soricidae
Subfamily : Crocidurinae
Genus : Diplomesodon

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Lichtenstein, H. 1823. Naturhistorischer Anhang. Pp. 113–150 in Eversmann, E.F. (eds.). Reise von Orenburg nach Buchara. E. H. G. Christiani, Berlin, 150 pp.

Original name as described

Sorex pulchellus

Other common names

Turkestan Desert Shrew

Type material

ZMB 680

Type kind

holotype

Type locality

east bank of Ural River, Kazakhstan.

Biogeographic realm

Palearctic

Country distribution

Russia · Kazakhstan · Uzbekistan · Turkmenistan

Taxonomy notes

spelling -um to -us according to HMW8 to match original description; the recently described name sonnerati, based on illustrations from Indian shrews similar to D. pulchellus, is tentatively considered a distinct species given that a photo of an animal resembling the original illustrations of D. sonnerati were recently published

Taxonomy notes citation

Cheke, A.S. 2011. Sonnerat's shrew – evidence for a new and possibly extinct species in an early 19th century manuscript (Mammalia: Soricidae). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 108(2):95-97. a#8028 · Cheke, A.S. 2011. Sonnerat's shrew – evidence for a new and possibly extinct species in an early 19th century manuscript (Mammalia: Soricidae). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 108(2):95-97. a#8028 · Cheke, A.S. and Hume, J.P. 2018. The Réunion Fody and Sonnerat's Shrew and the validity of scientifically naming animals described without physical types. Zootaxa 4382(3):592-600. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4382.3.10 · Nizamudheen, M., Arockianathan, S., Sirajudeen, M.S., Anbazhagan, A. and Rajaboopathi, B.K. 2025. Rediscovery of an 'extinct' endemic mammal Sonnerat's Shrew (Diplomesodon sonnerati Cheke, 2012) in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 21(2):171-174. a#72468 · Wilson, D.E. and Mittermeier, R.A. 2018. Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8. Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx, Barcelona, 709 pp. a#57916

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details. If the list is long, scroll down to see more.

Please send any edits, corrections, or unfilled data (including full citations) to mammaldiversity [at] gmail [dot] com.