NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Tropical Least Shrew
Cryptotis tropicalis (Merriam, 1895)
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 tropical small-eared shrew (Cryptotis tropicalis) is a very small mammal of the family Soricidae. The species is found in the eastern highlands of the Mexican state of Chiapas and parts of Belize and Guatemala. Until recently, it was considered a subspecies of the North American least shrew (C. parva), but it has gained species status. Its relationship with the Central American least shrew (C. orophila) remains to be studied.
Wikipedia contributors, Tropical 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 2026-10-05T08:44:38.989153+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cryptotis tropicalis (Merriam, 1895)
- Name authority
- (Merriam, 1895)
- Common name
- Tropical Least 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 tropicalis (Merriam, 1895)
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 |
| Darien Small-eared ShrewCryptotis merus Goldman, 1912 | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Blarina tropicalis Merriam, 1895 Merriam, 1895 | synonym |
| Cryptotis parva tropicalis (Merriam, 1895) (Merriam, 1895) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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=709789 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:323BY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.