The Negev shrew (''Crocidura ramona''), also known as the Ramon's shrew (, ') is a species of

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

in the family Soricidae. So far, it is only known from

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. It is found in three regions: Mizpe Ramon and Sede Boqer in the

Negev Desert The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

, and Sartaber at the northern edge of the

Judean Desert The Judaean Desert or Judean Desert (, ) is a desert in the West Bank and Israel that stretches east of the ridge of the Judaean Mountains and in their rain shadow, so east of Jerusalem, and descends to the Dead Sea. Under the name El-Bariyah, ...

. It is likely that the species occurs more widely in the region than currently known (i.e., in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, where similar habitats and Crocidura species have not been well surveyed). The three locations in which the species occurs are rocky desert areas at altitudes between 200 and 950 metres above sea level. The Negev shrew is light gray with a slightly lighter underpart. It is also relatively small. Only seven specimens have been collected. The Negev shrew is likely to be more widespread in the region than currently known and there are no known threats at present. More data on range population densities and trends, and potential threats would be useful for a future reassessment, but it is currently assessed as Least Concern. Of the six known localities, this species has been found in five protected areas. The Negev shrew is found either in or near to dry riverbeds with ''

Retama ''Retama'' (also known as ''rotem'', ) is a genus of flowering bushes in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the broom tribe, Genisteae. ''Retama'' broom bushes are found natively in North Africa, the Levant and some parts of southern Euro ...

'' and ''

Tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Ta ...

'' vegetation or near to dry riverbeds with dense ''

Atriplex ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and ...

'' vegetation. During surveys no other Crocidura species were found to be co-occurring with ''C. ramona'', the only other shrew which it was found together with was '' Suncus etruscus''. From 1999 to 2006 no specimens have been found; this is likely to be due to poor precipitation leading perhaps to lower populations and/or making the species more difficult to capture as it enters deeper soil layers. It is a naturally rare habitat specialist.

References

Crocidura Mammals described in 1996 Judaean Desert Mammals of the Middle East Vertebrates of Israel Vertebrates of Palestine {{Whitetoothed-shrew-stub