| Uropsilus[1] | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Soricomorpha |
| Family: | Talpidae |
| Subfamily: | Uropsilinae Dobson, 1883 |
| Genus: | Uropsilus Milne-Edwards, 1872 |
| Species | |
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See text. |
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The Uropsilinae are shrew-like members of the mole family endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, external ears, and small forefeet unspecialized for burrowing. Although they are similar to shrews in size, external appearance, and, presumably, ecological habits, they are nevertheless Talpids and considered True Moles.
Uropsilinae form one of the three main subfamilies of the mole family, the other two being Talpinae, or Old World moles and relatives; and the Scalopinae, or New World Moles. There is only one basic type, or genus, of Shrew-like moles: the Uropsilus, of which four distinct species have been definitively identified:
Although each species' official English common name still calls them "shrew moles", the Uropsilinae today are referred to as "shrew-like moles" in order to distinguish them from the original Shrew Mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii), and the Urotrichini, or Japanese Shrew Moles, both of which are morphologically quite different from the Uropsilinae and are Old World Moles. As a result, the term "Shrew-like moles" has become the term used to refer to the Uropsilinae in general, while specific species are still called "shrew moles".
Although little is currently known regarding any aspect of their natural history, Uropsilinae are thought to be the most ancestral group of moles, and as such, very similar to the primitive talpid from which all talpidae have descended.