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246 R. Hutterer

Table 3: Some cranial measurements of living and extinct populations of Crocidura sicula
(see also table 1).

Measurement Malta Malta Gozo Sicily Egadi I.
Pleist. Holoc. Recent Recent Recent

Condyloincisive l. 6.63 ( 2) 6.17±0.0 ( 3) 18 .35±0.4 ( 7) 19.41±0.6 (17) 18.07±0.4 (7)
Greatest width 4.53±0.1 (IO) 4.03±0.1 (11) 8.46±0.2 ( 7) 8.93±0.3 (14) 8.45±0.2 (7)
Postglenoid w. 9.14±0.3 (51) 8.31±0.1 (12) 5.90±0.1 (IO) 6.30±0.2 (20) 5.81 ±0.2 (7)
Interorb. w. 8.18±0.5 ( 3) 3.81±0.1 (11) 4.01±0.2 (22) 3.83±0.1 (7)
Upper toothrow l. 4.47±0.2 ( 6) 8.16±0.2 (28) 8.61 ±0.3 (23) 7.95 ± 0.2 (8)
Lower toothrow l. 4.96±0.1 (25) 7.69±0.1 ( 8) 7.95±0.3 (24) 7.43±0.2 (8)
Coronoid
process height 4.36±0.1 ( 8) 4.65±0.2 (24) 4.27±0.1 (8)

T ab l e 4: Weight (g) and external measurements (mm) of extant populations of Crocidura
sicula. Range, mean and sample size given.

Weight Sicily Egadi Islands Gozo
Head and body length
Taillength 6.4 - 10.5 4.5 - 8.0 4.2-9
Hindfoot length 8.5 (10) 5.8 (7) 6.9 (5)
Ear length 62- 77 60.5-69.5 55-70
70 .0 (23) 63.7 (8) 58.8 (9)
28 - 45 32-35.5 30- 36
36.7 (23) 33.6 (7) 31.7 (8)
11 - 13.5 11-11.7 11 - 12
12.4 (23) 11.3 (6) 11.5 (9)
6- 10.5 7.5 - 9 6.5-8
7.6 (15) 7.9 (5) 7.3 (5)

worldwide submarine terraces have been observed at a depth range of 142-154
meters; · these terraces are older than 30.000 years B. P. During the Middle
Pleistocene, the sea level was even 160-180 m lower than it is at present (Heaney
1986). In other words, Sicily, Malta, and the Egadi Islands formed one island during
the Pleistocene (but there must bave been also a landbridge to the mainland of Italy;
see Calai et al. 1988, Thake 1985, and Malatesta 1957). With rising sea levels at the
end of the Pleistocene the sub-islands were separated and the shrews living on them
underwent separate evolutionary processes. Separate evolutionary ways are also in-
dicated by the highly derived condition of the third upper molar in the Egadi Island
shrews (Tab. 2), in contrast to the more primitive condition in the other populations.

Taxonomic conclusions

Following the preceding results and discussion, I propose a new taxonomic arrange-
ment for the Sicialian shrew.

Crocidura sicula esuae Kotsakis, 1986

Crocidura esui Kotsakis, 1986: 51 (Spinagallo, Sicily).