Lutra_58(2)_van der Kooij et al_2015_lr

The range of the masked shrew (Sorex caecutiens Laxmann, 1788) extends to southern Scandinavia

The discovery of the masked shrew (Sorex caecutiens) in 2003 in southern Norway, 500 km southwest of its known range, initiated the mapping of its actual range. Through the revision of museum specimens, the analyses of owl pellets and the summarising of Swedish trapping data, the apparent gap between its northern and its southern populations could be reduced. The species’ occurrence in southern Scandinavia is presumably restricted to areas above the timberline. It most likely occurs in more areas and specifically on the transboundary mountain ridge of Norway and Sweden. The species shows a distinct variation in pelage colouration, according to age and time of the year. This makes its identification difficult. Genetic research should reveal how the masked shrew colonised Scandinavia after the last glaciation.