New distribution records of Elegant Water Shrew Nectogale elegans Milne-Edwards, 1870 (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) from the western Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Of the 13 known species of water shrews in the world, two water shrews are known from India, the Elegant Water Shrew Nectogale elegans and Himalayan Water Shrew Chimmarogale himalayica. Of these, the Elegant Water Shrew was earlier reported only from streams of north Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, India. During the period 2014–2016, the Elegant Water Shrews were sighted at three different locations in Uttarakhand State in the western Himalayan region. The present records are evidence for the broader range of distribution of Nectogale elegans in India indicating that the species is more widely distributed than previously thought. We present the details of sightings, habitats and behavior of shrews that were recorded during our study on impact of climate change on the aquatic ecosystem of the Himalaya.

Keywords

• chimmarogale
• foraging
• new record
• sikkim
• water current.