''Crocidura hikmiya'' (Sinharaja shrew or Sri Lankan rain forest shrew) is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

shrew Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different fa ...

described from the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, based on both morphological and

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

data. Its closest sister species is the

Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew The Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew (''Crocidura miya'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is th ...

, another Sri Lankan crocidurine

restricted to the high-elevation habitats of the Central Highlands. ''C. hikmiya'' has a shorter tail than the Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew. Most of the other characteristics that distinguish the two species are

osteological Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practised by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology, funct ...

natured .

Etymology

The specific epithet ''hikmiya'' is Sinhala for ‘shrew’, applied here as a substantive in apposition. It is known as ශ්‍රී ලංකා සිංහරාජ කුනු හික් මීයා in Sinhala.

Habitat

It is known only from two forest-edge sites in

Sinharaja Forest Reserve Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a forest reserve and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to International Union for Conser ...

, at Kudawa and Morningside.

References

External links

Wildlife Extra - A New Species of Shrew Described in Sri Lanka
*https://www.gbif.org/species/119382294 hikmiya Mammals of Sri Lanka Mammals described in 2007 {{whitetoothed-shrew-stub