NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Darien Small-eared Shrew
Cryptotis merus Goldman, 1912
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Darién small-eared shrew (Cryptotis merus) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is known only from montane regions along the border between Colombia and Darién Province, Panama, where it has been found in rainforest at elevations from 1400 to 1500 m. It has terrestrial habits.
Wikipedia contributors, Darién small-eared shrew; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:44:23.893600+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cryptotis merus Goldman, 1912
- Name authority
- Goldman, 1912
- Common name
- Darien Small-eared Shrew
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Soricidae
- Genus
- Cryptotis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderEulipotyphla Waddell, Okada & Hasegawa, 1999
- familySoricidae G. Fischer, 1814
- subfamilySoricinae G. Fischer, 1814
- tribeBlarinini Kretzoi, 1965
- genusCryptotis Pomel, 1848
- speciesCryptotis merus Goldman, 1912
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cryptotis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ecuadorean Small-eared ShrewCryptotis equatoris (Thomas, 1912) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Honduran Small-eared ShrewCryptotis hondurensis Woodman & Timm, 1992 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Big Mexican Small-eared ShrewCryptotis magnus (Merriam, 1895) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Merida Small-eared ShrewCryptotis meridensis (Thomas, 1898) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Merriam's Small-eared ShrewCryptotis merriami Choate, 1970 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nelson's Small-eared ShrewCryptotis nelsoni (Merriam, 1895) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blackish Small-eared ShrewCryptotis nigrescens (J. A. Allen, 1895) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| North American Least ShrewCryptotis parvus (Say, 1823) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Talamancan Broad-clawed ShrewCryptotis gracilis G. S. Miller, 1911 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yucatan Small-eared ShrewCryptotis mayensis (Merriam, 1901) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Phillips' Small-eared ShrewCryptotis phillipsii (Schaldach, 1966) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Colombian Small-eared ShrewCryptotis andinus Woodman, 2023 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cryptotis mera Goldman, 1912 Goldman, 1912 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1229249 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:323BG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.