A contribution to the taxonomy and ecology of shrews Crocidura zimmermanni and Crocidura suaveolens from Crete and Turkey.

Chromosomal and biochemial investigations of shrews from the genus Crocidura from Crete and Turkey show that C. russula monacha Thomas, 1906 and C. caneae Miller, 1909 are both members of the species C. suaveolens Pallas, 1811. C. russula zimmermanni Wettstein, 1953 is a well defined species: C. zimmermanni Wettstein, 1953. The populations of C. suaveolens in Crete, whose presence on the island dates from at least 3500 year b.p. is biochemically very similar to those of C. suaveolens from Turkey. The same set of electrophoresis data suggests that C. suaveolens from Cyprus became isolated from mainland populations much earlier. C. zimmermanni shows closer phylogenetic relationships with C. leucodon and C. suaveolens, than with C. russula. Endemic in Crete, C. zimmermanni is syntopic with C. suaveolens at medium and high altitudes, but has been eliminated by the latter in the fertile lowland plains.