NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Forest Shrew
Myosorex varius (Smuts, 1832)
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 forest shrew (Myosorex varius) is a species of shrew in the mouse shrew family, Soricidae. It is found in Lesotho, South Africa, and Eswatini. Its natural habitats include temperate forests, dry savanna, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and temperate grassland. The term "forest shrews" in the plural is sometimes confusingly used to collectively refer to a different genus, Sylvisorex.
Wikipedia contributors, Myosorex varius; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:19:50.596345+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Myosorex varius (Smuts, 1832)
- Name authority
- (Smuts, 1832)
- Common name
- Forest Shrew
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Soricidae
- Genus
- Myosorex
- 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
- subfamilyMyosoricinae Kretzoi, 1965
- genusMyosorex Gray, 1838
- speciesMyosorex varius (Smuts, 1832)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Myosorex. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Babault's Mouse ShrewMyosorex babaulti Heim de Balsac & Lamotte, 1956 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Montane Mouse ShrewMyosorex blarina Thomas, 1906 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Geata Mouse ShrewMyosorex geata (G. M. Allen & Loveridge, 1927) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kihaule's Mouse ShrewMyosorex kihaulei Stanley & Hutterer, 2000 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed Forest ShrewMyosorex longicaudatus Meester & Dippenaar, 1978 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thin Mouse ShrewMyosorex tenuis Thomas & Schwann, 1905 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kilimanjaro Mouse ShrewMyosorex zinki Heim de Balsac & Lamotte, 1956 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sclater's Mouse ShrewMyosorex sclateri Thomas & Schwann, 1905 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nyika Mouse ShrewMyosorex gnoskei Kerbis Peterhans et al., 2008 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Meester's Mouse ShrewMyosorex meesteri P. J. Taylor et al., 2013 | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dark-footed Forest ShrewMyosorex cafer (Sundevall, 1846) | SoricidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eisentraut's Mouse ShrewMyosorex eisentrauti Heim de Balsac, 1968 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Sorex varius Smuts, 1832 Smuts, 1832 | 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=633717 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:455RW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.