
2 6 D e c em b e r 2 0 1 7 | V o l . 9 | N o . 1 2 | P p . 1 1 0 9 7 -1 1 0 9 9 1 0 . 1 1 6 0 9 / j o ft . 3 3 9 2 . 9 . 1 2 . 1 1 0 9 7 -1 1 0 9 9 T h r e a ft e n e d T a x a T h e J o u r n a l o ff T h r e a ft e n e d T a x a fi s d e d fi c a ft e d ft o b u fi l d fi n g e v fi d e n c e ff o r c o n s e r v a fi o n g l o b a l l y b y p u b l fi s h fi n g p e e r -r e v fi ew e d a r fi c l e s o n l fi n e e v e r y m o n ft h a ft a r e a s o n a b l y r a p fi d r a ft e a ft www . ft h r e a ft e n e d ft a x a . o r g. A l l a r fi c l e s p u b l fi s h e d fi n J o T T a r e r e g fi s ft e r e d u n d e r C r e a fi v e C omm o n s A ft r fi b u fi o n 4 . 0 I n ft e r n a fi o n a l L fi c e n s e u n l e s s o ft h e rw fi s e m e n fi o n e d . J o T T a l l ow s u n r e s ft r fi c ft e d u s e o ff a r fi c l e s fi n a n y m e d fi um , r e p r o d u c fi o n , a n d d fi s ft r fi b u fi o n b y p r o v fi d fi n g a d e q u a ft e c r e d fi ft ft o ft h e a u ft h o r s a n d ft h e s o u r c e o ff p u b l fi c a fi o n .

O P E N A C C E S S P a r ft n e r www . ft h r e a ft e n e d ft a x a . o r g I S S N 0 9 7 4 -7 9 0 7 ( O n l fi n e ) | I S S N 0 9 7 4 -7 8 9 3 ( P r fi n ft ) B u fi l d fi n g e v fi d e n c e ff o r c o n s e r v a fi o n g l o b a l l y J o u r n a l o ff T h r e a ft e n e d T a x a P u b l fi s h e r / H o s ft F o r F o c u s , S c o p e , A fim s , P o l fi c fi e s a n d G u fi d e l fi n e s v fi s fi ft h ft p : / / ft h r e a ft e n e d ft a x a . o r g / A b o u ft _ J o T T F o r A r fi c l e S u bm fi s s fi o n G u fi d e l fi n e s v fi s fi ft h ft p : / / ft h r e a ft e n e d ft a x a . o r g / S u bm fi s s fi o n _ G u fi d e l fi n e s F o r P o l fi c fi e s a g a fi n s ft S c fi e n fi fi c M fi s c o n d u c ft v fi s fi ft h ft p : / / ft h r e a ft e n e d ft a x a . o r g / J o T T _ P o l fi c y _ a g a fi n s ft _ S c fi e n fi fi c _M fi s c o n d u c ft F o r r e p r fi n ft s c o n ft a c ft < fi n ff o@ ft h r e a ft e n e d ft a x a . o r g > The smallest of amphibious mammals, the water shrew has currently 13 known species in the world (Churchfield 1998). They belong to four genera, viz.: Sorex, Neomys, Chimmarogale, and Nectogale (Hutterer 1993). Of these, Himalaya is abode to two species of Chimmarogale and one species of Nectogale but the Indian Himalayan region harbours one species each of genus Chimmarogale and Nectogale. Distribution records, habitat and population status of all known water shrews are presented in Table  1 . The Elegant Water Shrew Nectogale elegans, which is monotypic to its genera, has been reported in the northern part of South Asia, central and southern part of China, and the north of Southeast Asia. In South Asia, it has been recorded in India (North Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh) and eastern Nepal (Mitchell 1975; Choudhury 2003; Molur et al. 2005; Srinivasulu & Srinivasulu 2012; Menon 2014) . Rarely caught in the fishing nets, whenever reported, these elusive shrews are even tougher to be captured on cameras or visually encountered due to their tendency to hide underwater or river bank vegetation and debris while foraging (IUCN 1995; Menon 2014) . Although there have been many surveys conducted by various ichthyologists and naturalists in the western Himalaya, there have been no scientific reports of this species till date, which might be due to lesser interest in its distribution and rare sightings of the same.

During our investigations on the streams for fish and other aquatic fauna, the Elegant Water Shrews were recorded at three different locations in the Uttarakhand State of the western Himalayan region of India for three consecutive years (Fig. 1) 

l e g a n ft W a ft e r S h r ew S h a rm a e ft a l .

1 1 0 9 8 o ff ff o r a g fi n g ff o r s n ow ft r o u ft fi n g e r l fi n g s . T h e ft h fi r d r e c o r d w a s m a d e fi n J u n e 2 0 1 6 , a ft a s ft r e am n e a r B ew a r a C h afi , U ft a r a k h a n d ( 3 0 . 8 5 4 2 7 N a n d 7 8 . 4 9 0 1 9 E ) a ft a n a l fi ft u d e o ff 2 , 2 2 0m ( Im a g e s 3 , 4 ) . T h fi s s h r ew w a s o b s e r v e d ft o b e ff o r a g fi n g a g a fi n s ft ft h e l ow o ff ft h e w a ft e r c u r r e n ft a ft w a ft e r d e p ft h o ff 4 0 cm . I ft s a c fi v fi fi e s w e r e v fi d e o r e c o r d e d ff o r ff u ft u r e s ft u d fi e s .

T h e E l e g a n ft W a ft e r S h r ew , a l s o c a l l e d ft h e T fi b e ft a n W a ft e r S h r ew , h a s b e e n l fi s ft e d a s L e a s ft C o n c e r n b y ft h e I U C N (M o l u r 2 0 1 6 ) . I n c om p a r fi s o n ft o o ft h e r s h r ew s , N . e l e g a n s fi s l a r g e r fi n s fi z e w fi ft h fi ft s l e n g ft h r a n g fi n g ff r om 9 0 -1 2 8 mm a n d w e fi g h ft r a n g fi n g ff r om 2 5 -4 5 g ( P a r k e r 1 9 9 0 ) . I ft fi s d fi u r n a l a n d a q u a fi c , w fi ft h a s ft r e am l fi n e d b o d y , r e d u c e d p fi n n a a n d w e b b e d ff e e ft a d a p ft e d ft o a fi d fi n sw fimm fi n g a n d u n d e rw a ft e r ff o r a g fi n g . T h e s h r ew fi n h a b fi ft s c r e e k s a n d ft u r b u l e n ft c o l d w a ft e r s o ff r fi v e r s ff r om a l fi ft u d e s b e ftw e e n 9 0 0 -2 , 2 7 0 m (M o l u r e ft a l . 2 0 0 5 ) . I ft fi s k n ow n ft o sw fim u p s ft r e am , a g a fi n s ft ft h e c u r r e n ft , a n d o ft e n ff o r a g e s u n d e r s fi c k s , r o c k s a n d s ft r e am b a n k v e g e ft a fi o n b e ff o r e sw fimm fi n g d ow n s ft r e am w fi ft h ft h e c u r r e n ft (M o l u r 2 0 0 8 ) , w h fi c h fi s fi ft s d fi a g n o s fi c b e h a v fi o u r a l ff e a ft u r e v fi s -à -v fi s C h fimm a r o g a l e w h fi c h d o e s n o ft ff o r a g e a g a fi n s ft ft h e w a ft e r c u r r e n ft .

T h e p r e s e n ft s ft u d y fi s ft h e fi r s ft d fi s ft r fi b u fi o n r e c o r d o ff ft h fi s s p e c fi e s fi n ft h e w e s ft e r n H fim a l a y a n r e g fi o n . P r fi o r ft o ft h fi s , ft h e s p e c fi e s fi n I n d fi a h a s b e e n r e p o r ft e d o n l y ff r om S fi k k fim a n d A r u n a c h a l P r a d e s h , ( C h o u d h u r y 2 0 0 3 ) w fi ft h n o fi n d fi v fi d u a l r e c o r d s e l s ew h e r e fi n ft h e c o u n ft r y ( I U C N 1 9 9 5 ; C h o u d h u r y 2 0 0 3 ; M e n o n 2 0 1 4 ) . I n a d d fi fi o n , n o T a b l e 1 . D fi s ft r fi b u fi o n , h a b fi ft a ft a n d p o p u l a fi o n s ft a ft u s o ff ft h e w a ft e r s h r ew s fi n ft h e H fim a l a y a n r e g fi o n . E l e g a n ft W a ft e r S h r ew o r W e b -ff o o ft e d S h r ew N e c ft o g a l e e l e g a n s B h u ft a n : c e n ft r a l a n d w e s ft ; I n d fi a : S fi k k fim , A r u n a c h a l P r a d e s h ; N e p a l : e a s ft e r n N e p a l H fi g h a l fi ft u d e c o l d m o u n ft a fi n s ft r e am s . D fi v e s a n d ff e e d s o n a q u a fi c fi n v e r ft e b r a ft e s a n d sm a l l fi s h . R e s ft s u n d e r b u r r ow s fi n s ft r e am b a n k s S ft y a n ' s W a ft e r S h r ew C h fim a r r o g a l e s ft y a n fi S o u ft h e a s ft A s fi a : N o r ft h e a s ft e r n M y a nm a r , s o u ft hw e s ft e r n & s o u ft h e a s ft e r n C h fi n a Sm a l l ff o r e s ft s ft r e am s a ft a n a l fi ft u d e b e ftw e e n 1 , 5 0 0 -3 , 1 0 0 m P o o r l y k n ow n e c o l o g y a n d d fi s ft r fi b u fi o n , c u r r e n ft l y n o ft a ft r fi s k F r a n c fi s ( 2 0 0 8 ) , J o h n s fi n g h & M a n j r e k a r ( 2 0 1 3 )

H fim a l a y a n W a ft e r S h r ew C h fim a r r o g a l e h fim a l a y fi c a S o u ft h E a s ft A s fi a : N o r ft h e r n M y n am a r , n o r ft h e r n L a o s , n o r ft h e r n V fi e ft n am , N e p a l , I n d fi a ( K a s hm fi r , H fim a c h a l P r a d e s h , A s s am , S fi k k fim , W e s ft B e n g a l ) , C h fi n a a n d T a fiw a n Sm a l l ff o r e s ft s ft r e am s , ff e e d s o n a q u a fi c fi n s e c ft s a n d o ft h e r fi n v e r ft e b r a ft e s T h r fi v e fi n r e l a fi v e l y c l e a n m o u n ft a fi n s ft r e am s , v u l n e r a b l e ft o ff o r e s ft l o s s a n d p o l l u fi o n , c u r r e n ft l y n o ft a ft r fi s k M o l u r e ft a l . ( 2 0 0 5 ) , F r a n c fi s ( 2 0 0 8 ) , J o h n s fi n g h & M a n j r e k a r ( 2 0 1 3 ) F fi g u r e 1 . D fi s ft r fi b u fi o n r e c o r d s o ff N e c ft o g a l e e l e g a n s fi n ft h e I n d fi a n H fim a l a y a n r e g fi o n

{'paper_id': '135131516', 'title': 'New distribution records of Elegant Water Shrew Nectogale elegans Milne-Edwards, 1870 (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) from the western Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India', 's2_url': 'https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:135131516', 'source': 'S2ORC'}