A new species of small-eared shrew of the genus Cryptotis (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) from the northernmost Peruvian Andes

The northernmost Peruvian Andes, a unique biogeographic region characterized by the confluence of multiple distinct ecosystems ( i.e. Amazon basin, Pacific rainforest, the Sechura Desert, the northern and central Andes), is the southernmost geographic range limit of the South American shrews representing the genus Cryptotis . In the northernmost Peruvian Andes, two poorly known species have traditionally been reported ( C. peruviensis and C. equatoris ). Our study, based on molecular and morphologic traits, confirms the presence of C. peruviensis but also the occurrence of C. montivaga , based on specimens erroneously assigned to C. equatoris . Moreover, a new species of Cryptotis from the paramo and montane forests of the Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary near the Ecuadorian border is also described. It is a member of the thomasi group and is distinguished from other South American shrews by a unique set of morphological characters, including large body size, comparatively short tail, simple ectoloph of M3, and large PM4 post protocrista.