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Insectivores (Eulypotiphla) are a substantial component of Russian forest ecosystems. The parasites of these animals also form an important part of natural biocenoses and act as one of the factors in the formation of biodiversity. The Mordovia Nature Reserve and National Park "Smolny" are large, forested areas located in the center of European Russia. We studied the helminth fauna of insectivores in these protected areas in 2018–2022. In total, using the method of complete helminthological necropsy, we examined 478 individuals of shrews, moles, and hedgehogs and recorded 34 species of parasitic worms, i.e., 8 trematode, 7 cestode, 1 acanthocephalan, and 18 nematode species. The most diverse helminth fauna was found in Sorex araneus (22 species). The composition of helminths in S. isodon (12), Neomys fodiens (9), Sorex minutus, and Erinaceus roumanicus (8 species each) turned out to be less diverse. The lowest species diversity of helminths was observed in Neomys milleri (3) and Talpae europaea (2 species). Taking into account the newly obtained data, we conducted a review of the helminth diversity in shrews, hedgehogs, and moles in the Middle Volga region. According to our literature data, the helminth fauna of insectivores in this region consists of 52 species, including 14 cestodes, 13 trematodes, 22 nematodes, and 3 acanthocephalans. Most of them belong to the Palearctic faunal complex (36 species). The helminth fauna of insectivores in the studied protected areas was compared with the helminth fauna of micromammals in other areas of the Middle Volga region. Our comparative analysis showed a high and average degree of similarity in the helminth fauna within individual species and genera of Eulipotyphla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The materials of our studies on the taiga shrew (Sorex isodon Turov, 1924) in the northeastern part of European Russia are summarized. Its distribution is shown to coincide generally with the northern border of the taiga zone. The optimal biotopes are grass spruce forests (only for them are the values of the biotope fidelity coefficient positive). The numbers of taiga shrews in lowland localities are 0–2.4 individuals, while in foothill habitats it increases up to 4.4–8.6 individuals and reaches maximum values on the western slope of the northern Urals (28 individuals per 100 cone-nights). The formation of the numbers of the species is much influenced by the landscape conditions of the territory: the ratio of habitat types and their areas. An increase in the area of grass forests leads to an increase in the abundance of taiga shrews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a 7-year capture-recapture analysis, we estimated effects of population density and weather conditions on the mortality rate in five neighbouring populations located in different habitats in Central Russia. Non-resident shrews had little chance of surviving to reproduction. The average lifespan of resident young shrews first seen in June, July and August was 4.7, 4.5 and 3.2 months, respectively, and the longest one was 15 months. In spring, the number of males that overwintered exceeded that of females; subsequently, the former diminished faster leading to a female-biased sex ratio in late summer. Young common shrews survived the winter usually close to their summer home ranges, although several > 100 m shifts were recorded. The number of newly discovered overwintering shrews positively correlated (r = 0.93, P < 0.008) with the expansion of home ranges after wintering. The pattern of the resident population had formed by the end of July; later, only a few new residents were detected, although the dispersal rate remained high. The major contribution of the shrews that overwintered locally to the genetic pattern explains the previously observed deficit of heterozygotes at three of the studied sites. Although the interannual dynamics of mortality varied among the habitats, overall mortality was high in the 2 years with the thinnest late-autumn snow cover. An association of the mortality rate with population abundance was found only in the most favourable habitat. The occasional high mortality and asynchronous survival give immigrants an opportunity from time to time enhance the genetic diversity of local populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rodent borne hantaviruses are emerging viruses infecting humans through inhalation. They cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hemorrhagic cardiopulmonary syndrome. Recently, hantaviruses have been detected in other small mammals such as Soricomorpha (shrews, moles) and Chiroptera (bats), suggested as reservoirs for potential pandemic viruses and to play a role in the evolution of hantaviruses. It is important to study the global virome in different reservoirs, therefore our aim was to investigate whether shrews in Sweden carried any hantaviruses. Moreover, to accurately determine the host species, we developed a molecular method for identification of shrews. Method: Shrews (n = 198), caught during 1998 in Sweden, were screened with a pan-hantavirus PCR using primers from a conserved region of the large genome segment. In addition to morphological typing of shrews, we developed a molecular based typing method using sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome B (CytB) genes. PCR amplified hantavirus and shrew fragments were sequenced and phylogenetically analysed. Results: Hantavirus RNA was detected in three shrews. Sequencing identified the virus as Seewis hantavirus (SWSV), most closely related to previous isolates from Finland and Russia. All three SWSV sequences were retrieved from common shrews (Sorex araneus) sampled in Västerbotten County, Sweden. The genetic assay for shrew identification was able to identify native Swedish shrew species, and the genetic typing of the Swedish common shrews revealed that they were most similar to common shrews from Russia. Conclusion: We detected SWSV RNA in Swedish common shrew samples and developed a genetic assay for shrew identification based on the COI and CytB genes. This was the first report of presence of hantavirus in Swedish shrews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craniometric variability of the common shrew has been studied on 613 skulls of young (first summer of life) individuals from ten localities in the northeastern part of European Russia, i.e., Komi Republic and Nenets Autonomous Okrug. We have compared 16 skull traits. The impact of various factors on cranial variability of the species is discussed. We found significant interpopulation variability in the skull size. The morphological distances (Mahalanobis distances) between samples within a race were often greater than those between samples of different races. Several skull traits were found specific to some races. Both latitude and elevation were shown to affect the interpopulation variability significantly. A decrease in the size of skulls was revealed towards the north versus an increase with altitude. Estimation of the contribution of a certain factor was complicated by the joint effect of various factors in various combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natal dispersal of young common shrews (Sorex araneus) was studied in field conditions in the southern part of Tver oblast, in central European Russia. Total individual marking of shrews was conducted over an area of 22 ha. The places of birth of the young were determined by the home ranges of relative overwintered females. The animals were genotyped by ten microsatellite loci: L62, L68, L45, C117, L69, C5, B30, D106, D103, and D138. Family analysis was carried out using the Cervus 3.07 software. In 2013, with the population density in October being 6.5 individuals/ha, 33 mother‒pup dyads were identified for 229 yearlings and 20 females. The share of yearlings born within the study area was 14.8%, while the core of the population consisted of animals that had arrived from outside the plot. In 2014, with the population density in October reaching only 2.6 individuals/ha, nine mother‒pup dyads were found for 58 yearlings and nine mature females. The share of the animals born within the plot boundaries was 15.5%. Within the plot, dispersal from the natal ranges varied from 0 to 610 m, Me = 224, in 2013, and from 45 to 410 m, Me = 297, in 2014. The data obtained fail to confirm a meaningful year-to-year difference. Taking into account the corrections for the proportion of territory under control, the majority of young animals appear to have dispersed over a range of more than 400 m both during the high fall population density and during its decrease the next year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on long-term expedition and stationary observations in the taiga in northwestern Russia (1965–2017), the reproduction of the common shrew was studied, including the features associated with its life at the northern range boundary: the timing, reproductive cycles, course and intensity of reproduction, participation of individual age groups in breeding, variations in brood numbers, etc. According to the data obtained, under those conditions, overwintered individuals of this species mainly breed from late April to mid-September, bringing in two or, rarely, three litters of 3–11, with a mean of 6.4 young animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population-ecological features of reproduction in the lesser shrew related to its living at the northern distribution boundary have been analyzed based on the data of long-term stationary and expedition studies (1958–2017) in the taiga zone of northwestern Russia. It is established that the species under these conditions is characterized by a longer period of reproduction (from mid-April to late September), in which mainly overwintered individuals are involved. In general, two litters per season are produced, which is correlated with two distinct peaks of dispersal of the young: in late June–early July and early August. The average number of embryos per female varies from 2 to 11, averaging 6.0 ± 0.21. The litter size varies by months and gradually decreases from early summer to autumn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beremendiini is an extinct group of soricine shrews that were widely distributed during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Their occurrence in China has been investigated, but their presence in northern Asian regions has remained poorly studied. This paper analyzes 56 fossil remains of Beremendiini collected from 16 early Pliocene to early Pleistocene localities in Russia (Siberia), Kazakhstan, and Mongolia and shows the presence of two beremendiin species: Beremendia fissidens (Petényi, 1864) and Beremendia minor Rzebik-Kowalska, 1976. Northern Asian Beremendia considerably vary in size and qualitative characteristics, although most of the different states have been identified in European or Chinese specimens. Through the application of geometric morphometric techniques, mandibular shape analyses reveal similarities between the members of the beremendiin genera Peisorex Kowalski and Li, 1963, Beremendia Kormos, 1934, and Lunanosorex Jin and Kawamura, 1996. Shape analyses and comparisons of mandibular characteristics reveal 'trophic' analogies between Beremendia and Blarina spp. and a new model of 'Mandible Swinging and Sliding' (MSS-model) accounting for the similarities in mandibular morphology with implications for the understanding of the diet of Beremendia. UUID: http://zoobank.org/ef92ee1a-3977-44b2-86d7-381665bcf78b [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—Different populations of the Common shrew (Sorex araneus) were analyzed with regard to multiyear cycles of population fluctuations typical for the species. We presented data on long-term observations in Akademgorodok (Novosibirsk) and Rovenskoe village (Central Baraba). We also used published data on long-term observations from the European and East Siberian range of the shrew populations. This work attempts to develop a general idea on the cyclicity in multiyear population number dynamics of the Common shrew, invariant and variable in different geographical locations. The data series were analyzed using spectral analysis. The main cycles in this species are 10–15, five to seven, three to four, and two to three3 years, however the amplitude of the cycles varied by region. To maintain population cyclicity, synchronization with local rhythms similar in parameters is important: geomagnetic activity, depth of soil freezing, thickness of snow cover, and watering of the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A taxonomic review was performed on cestodes of the genus Neoskrjabinolepis Spassky, 1947 that parasitize different species of Sorex shrews in different regions of the northern Palearctic and in the Nearctic (Alaska, USA). Information on Palearctic Neoskrjabinolepis cestodes published in various articles is summarized. An overview of the geographical distribution of the Neoskrjabinolepis species is also presented. Currently, the genus includes 17 species. In the European part of the Palearctic, four species of the genus are registered; in the Asian part, 13 species; and on the American continent (Seward Peninsula, Alaska, USA), two species. Descriptions, illustrations, and differential diagnoses are given for a new species of Neoskrjabinolepis , i.e. N. paradoxa n. sp., which was found in shrews Sorex unguiculatus Dobson and S. caecutiens Laxmann on Sakhalin Island. A unique feature of the new species is irregularly alternating genital pores in the uterus series in the strobila. Amended new differential features (positioning of the uterus relative to osmoregulatory canals and alternation of genital pores) of genus diagnosis and an identification key for Neoskrjabinolepis spp. are presented.

Introduction: Insectivores are newly recognized hantaviral reservoir worldwide. Four distinct shrew-borne hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) have been identified in two regions located in southern and northern part of the Russian Far East, two genetic variants of Seewis virus (SWSV), Lena River virus (LENV), Kenkeme virus (KKMV) and Yakeshi virus (YKSV). Here, we describe geographic distribution of shrew-borne hantaviruses in southern part of the Russian Far East: Jewish Autonomous region, Khabarovsk Krai, Primorsky Krai and Sakhalin region., Materials and Methods: Lung samples from shrews of genus Sorex, captured in the four regions of Far Eastern Russia, were examined for hantavirus RNA using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Phylogenetic analysis of the partial nucleotide sequences of viral genome was conducted using MEGA X software., Results: New genetic variant of YKSV was identified in new reservoir host, long-clawed shrew (S. ungiuculatus) from Sakhalin Island. Genetic variant of SWSV, ARTV-Sc, has been found to circulate among S. caecutiens on the seacoast of Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krai. KKMV virus and second genetic variant of SWSV, ARTV-St, were found in S. roboratus and S. tundrensis, respectively from Jewish Autonomous region., Conclusion: Sorex-borne hantaviruses were found in all studied regions of Far Eastern Russia. Our results demonstrated co-evolution of SWSV, KKMV, and YKSV viruses throughout the geographic distribution of its hosts.

In the paper the author reports literature data and his own on the shrew fauna and communities of the steppe and forest zones of Eastern Transbaikalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground:Hantaviral antigens were originally reported more than 20 years ago in tissues of the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus), captured in European and Siberian Russia. The recent discovery of Seewis virus (SWSV) in this soricid species in Switzerland provided an opportunity to investigate its genetic diversity and geographic distribution in Russia.Methods:Lung tissues from 45 Eurasian common shrews, 4 Laxmann's shrews (Sorex caecutiens), 3 Siberian large-toothed shrews (Sorex daphaenodon), 9 pygmy shrews (Sorex minutus), 28 tundra shrews (Sorex tundrensis), and 6 Siberian shrews (Crocidura sibirica), captured in 11 localities in Western and Eastern Siberia during June 2007 to September 2008, were analyzed for hantavirus RNA by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction.Results:Hantavirus L and S segment sequences, detected in 11 S. araneus, 2 S. tundrensis, and 2 S. daphaenodon, were closely related to SWSV, differing from the prototype mp70 strain by 16.3–20.2% at the nucleotide level and 1.4–1.7% at the amino acid level. Alignment and comparison of nucleotide and amino acid sequences showed an intrastrain difference of 0–11.0% and 0% for the L segment and 0.2–8.5% and 0% for the S segment, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis, using neighbor-joining, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian methods, showed geographic-specific clustering of SWSV strains in Western and Eastern Siberia.Conclusions:This is the first definitive report of shrew-borne hantaviruses in Siberia, and demonstrates the impressive distribution of SWSV among phylogenetically related Sorexspecies. Coevolution and local adaptation of SWSV genetic variants in specific chromosomal races of S. araneusmay account for their geographic distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of genetically distinct hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) in multiple species of shrews, moles and bats has revealed a complex evolutionary history involving cross-species transmission. Seewis virus (SWSV) is widely distributed throughout the geographic ranges of its soricid hosts, including the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus), tundra shrew (Sorex tundrensis) and Siberian large-toothed shrew (Sorex daphaenodon), suggesting host sharing. In addition, genetic variants of SWSV, previously named Artybash virus (ARTV) and Amga virus, have been detected in the Laxmann's shrew (Sorex caecutiens). Here, we describe the geographic distribution and phylogeny of SWSV and Altai virus (ALTV) in Asian Russia. The complete genomic sequence analysis showed that ALTV, also harbored by the Eurasian common shrew, is a new hantavirus species, distantly related to SWSV. Moreover, Lena River virus (LENV) appears to be a distinct hantavirus species, harbored by Laxmann's shrews and flat-skulled shrews (Sorex roboratus) in Eastern Siberia and far-eastern Russia. Another ALTV-related virus, which is more closely related to Camp Ripley virus from the United States, has been identified in the Eurasian least shrew (Sorex minutissimus) from far-eastern Russia. Two highly divergent viruses, ALTV and SWSV co-circulate among common shrews in Western Siberia, while LENV and the ARTV variant of SWSV co-circulate among Laxmann's shrews in Eastern Siberia and far-eastern Russia. ALTV and ALTV-related viruses appear to belong to the Mobatvirus genus, while SWSV is a member of the Orthohantavirus genus. These findings suggest that ALTV and ALTV-related hantaviruses might have emerged from ancient cross-species transmission with subsequent diversification within Sorex shrews in Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the study that monitors the population of small mammals found in the Kola Peninsula, Russia for the period of 1936-2011 or over 75 years. It states that Kola Peninsula is inhabited by eight species of murine rodents while species of shrews are six. It says that the monitoring of the population shows that there is a decrease in total abundance by 1.8-fold and the population cycles change from 4-year period into five or six-year period.

• The reservoir host for two distinct hantaviruses, Lena and Artybash, is Sorex caecutiens. • Sorex caecutiens and Sores tundrensis harbor Artybash virus. • Three species of shrew-borne hantaviruses co-circulate in the same ecological niche. Insectivores are the new emerging reservoir of hantaviruses. Here, we describe Lena virus (LENV), a novel hantavirus harbored by the Laxmann's shrew (Sorex caecutiens), which is also the host of Artybash virus (ARTV). Genetic analysis of the complete genomic sequence shows that LENV is in distant relation to ARTV and other Sorex -borne hantaviruses, suggesting that LENV has emerged from cross-species transmission. Additionally, new genetic variant of ARTV, designated as ARTV-St, was identified in tundra shrews (Sorex tundrensis). Finally, distinct insectivore-borne hantaviruses are co-circulating in the same localities of far eastern Russia: LENV, ARTV and Yakeshi in the forest site, while ARTV, ARTV-St, and Kenkeme virus in the meadow field site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observations indicate that anthropogenic activities cause structural changes with time among tularemia pathogen carriers in the microfocus. The epizootic and epidemic values of animal species, such as dwarf hamsters and house mice, decrease while those of insect-eating animals, namely white-toothed shrews that refer to Group II increase, in terms of tularemia infection susceptibility. In white-toothed shrews, tularemia infection rates are 4-6-times greater than those in other small mammals that refer to Group I.

Mammals and ticks was collected in 1995-1997 years in Novgorod region from May to September. Traps were exposed during 5 consecutive days every month in 4 different biotopes. 928 hosts were captured during three years. 357 larvae and 59 nymphs of Ixodes persulcatus, 356 larvae and 71 nymphs of I. trianguliceps were collected. The Clethrionomys glareolus and Sorex araneus are main hosts of larvae of I. persulcatus and I. trianguliceps. C. glareolus feed 76.2% of I. persulcatus larvae and 25% of I. trianguliceps larvae, S. araneus--27.1 and 45.9% of larvae, respectively. The abundance of larvae and nymphs of I. persulcatus was 0.26 and 0.13 on C. glareolus, and 0.41, 0.08 on S. araneus; for I. trianguliceps this indices are 0.15 and 0.09, 0.95 and 0.13, respectively. Infection rate of larvae and nymphs I. persulcatus and I. trianguliceps with Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. was 94-100%, confirmed by IFA with H5332. The borreliemia was found in 13.6% G. glareolus, 6.6--Microtus arvialis, 4.2% Apodemus uralensis. For all species of sorex this index varied from 0.9 to 44.9% in different years. Increase of mammal's numbers with the borreliemia correlated with peaks of activity of larvae of I. persulcatus. Finding of Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. in I. trianguliceps indicates an occurrence of enzootic locuses.