Crocidura balingka is a species of shrew in the genus Crocidura known from Mount Singgalang on Sumatra, where it occurs only above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). It is named after the people of the village of Balingka in Agam Regency for their assistance to biologists studying the local fauna. The species was first described in 2024 by a team of scientists from the United States and Indonesia. DNA evidence indicates that it is most closely related to Crocidura dewi, another Mount Singgalang endemic, and to Crocidura aequicauda, which is from another mountain on Sumatra.[1]

Crocidura balingka
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Soricidae
Genus: Crocidura
Species:
C. balingka
Binomial name
Crocidura balingka
Nations et al., 2024[1]

At a weight of 4.1 to 6.5 grams (0.14 to 0.23 oz), Crocidura balingka is a relatively small shrew, smaller than its close relative C. dewi. The fur is dark gray-brown on the back and slightly lighter on the lower side of the body. The feet and ears are darker than in other comparably sized Sumatran shrews.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Nations, Jonathan A.; Handika, Heru; Mursyid, Ahmad; Darma Busta, Ryski; Apandi; Achmadi, Anang S.; Esselstyn, Jacob A. (2024). "Three new shrews (Soricidae: Crocidura) from West Sumatra, Indonesia: elevational and morphological divergence in syntopic sister taxa". Journal of Mammalogy. 105 (2): 372–389. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyad126.