|
Nesiotites
''Nesiotites'' is an extinct genus of large red-toothed shrews belonging to the tribe Nectogalini that inhabited the Balearic Islands from the latest Miocene/Early Pliocene (from around 5.3 million years ago) up until the arrival of humans on the islands during the late Holocene (around 2500-2300 BC). It was present on Mallorca and Menorca. It represented one of only 3 native land mammals to the islands at the time of human arrival, alongside the goat-antelope '' Myotragus'' and the giant dormouse ''Hypnomys''. The genus is closely related to the also recently extinct Corsican-Sardinian shrews belonging to the genus '' Asoriculus'', with their closest living relatives being the Himalayan shrews of the genus '' Soriculus.'' Taxonomy ''Nesiotites'' was originally described by Dorothea Bate in 1945, with the type species being ''Nesiotites hidalgo.'' Originally, two species from the islands of Corsica and Sardinia (''N. corsicanus'' and ''N. similis'') were included in the genus, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asoriculus
''Asoriculus'' is an extinct genus of terrestrial Shrew (animal), shrews in the subfamily Soricinae (red-toothed shrews) and tribe Nectogalini, native to Europe (including the islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily) West Asia and North Africa, from the Late Miocene (from around 6 million years ago) until the late Holocene (likely the late 1st millennium BC). The genus is closely related and possibly ancestral to the also recently-extinct Nesiotites, Balearic shrews (''Nesiotites''), with their closest living relative being the Himalayan shrew (''Soriculus nigrescens''). Taxonomy and evolution The number of valid species in the genus is uncertain and subject to dispute. The best known species of ''Asoriculus'', ''Asoriculus gibberodon'', was widespread in Europe from the Late Miocene (Messinian, Mammal Neogene zones, MN13, from around 7.2-5.3 million years ago) to the Early Pleistocene, and was also present in Anatolia and the Caucasus during the Pliocene. The youngest records of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |