The hypothetical Old-Northern chromosome race of Sorex araneus found in the Ural Mts

Abstract

Chromosomes of two populations of the common shrew, Sorex araneus L. (Mammalia, Insectivora, Soricidae), from the northern Ural Mts. were investigated. In both sites, homozygous, all-metacentric autosomal complements were revealed, with the autosomal arm combinations af, bc, go, hn, ip, jl, km, qr, tu. This karyotype is identical to that predicted by Halkka et al. (1994) as the hypothetical Old-Northern race connecting the northern and eastern ratial groups of Sorex araneus in Eurasia.