Abstract The number of shrew species in Israel has been and still is the subject of debate. In this work we used for the first time a molecular marker, the cytochrome b gene, to investigate the number and identity of shrew species in Israel. Our molecular results confirmed the presence of four species: Crocidura leucodon, Crocidura suaveolens gueldenstaedtii, Crocidura ramona, and Suncus etruscus. The C. ramona sequences were found to differ from all other Crocidura species sequenced to date, supporting its status as a distinct species. Whether it is conspecific with Crocidura portali (described in 1920 from Israel and usually synonymized with C. suaveolens), will require additional study. The sequences of Israeli C. suaveolens were found to be very similar to those of Iran, Turkey, and Georgia (i.e., C. suaveolens gueldenstaedtii), in agreement with previous studies. The Israeli C. leucodon sequences, however, formed a distinct clade among C. leucodon. Finally, the S. etruscus sequences clustered with sequences from France, Italy, and Iran.

中文翻译：

---

基于细胞色素b序列的以色列鼩（Eulipotyphla：Soricidae）的分子关系

摘要 以色列鼩鼱的数量一直是并且仍然是争论的主题。在这项工作中，我们首次使用分子标记细胞色素 b 基因来调查以色列鼩鼱物种的数量和身份。我们的分子结果证实了四种物种的存在：Crocidura leucodon、Crocidura suaveolens gueldenstaedtii、Crocidura ramona 和 Suncus etruscus。发现 C. ramona 序列与迄今为止测序的所有其他 Crocidura 物种不同，支持其作为独特物种的地位。它是否与 Crocidura portali（1920 年从以色列描述，通常与 C. suaveolens 同义）同种，需要进一步研究。发现以色列 C. suaveolens 的序列与伊朗、土耳其和格鲁吉亚（即 C. suaveolens gueldenstaedtii）的序列非常相似，与之前的研究一致。然而，以色列的 C. leucodon 序列在 C. leucodon 中形成了一个独特的进化枝。最后，S. etruscus 序列与来自法国、意大利和伊朗的序列聚集在一起。