Abstract This paper reports a new and well dated record of the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), which is the smallest extant terrestrial mammal, and provides a comprehensive review of the fossil record of this species. Three remains were found in the small vertebrate assemblage of the Estrecho Cave (Cuenca, Spain), which dates from 2310–2290 and 2272–2149 years cal BP. The morphometric analysis performed provided unequivocal traits of this species. We analyse this new record of the Etruscan shrew together with a review of its fossil records along the Mediterranean Basin. Because of the scarcity of reliable records of this species, its origin and palaeobiogeographical history remain still unclear. According to available data, the Etruscan shrew populations that colonised Europe were most probably originated in Asia, where it was present at least since the Middle Pleistocene. Its dispersal process across the Mediterranean Basin shows a pattern in which it progressively extended its distribution towards the west from mid-4th millennium BP onwards. This process most certainly involved the accidental translocation of the species by humans across the Mediterranean through navigation routes, resulting in its introduction into most of the large Mediterranean islands, besides the mainland of Europe and North Africa.

中文翻译：

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古代欧洲西南部伊特鲁里亚鼩鼱（Suncus etruscus）的早期可靠证据。重建其沿地中海盆地的扩散过程

摘要 本文报道了现存最小的陆生哺乳动物伊特鲁里亚鼩（Suncus etruscus）的新记录，并对该物种的化石记录进行了全面回顾。在 Estrecho Cave（西班牙昆卡）的小型脊椎动物群中发现了三具遗骸，其历史可追溯到 2310-2290 年和 2272-2149 年 cal BP。进行的形态测量分析提供了该物种的明确特征。我们分析了伊特鲁里亚鼩鼱的这一新记录，并回顾了其沿地中海盆地的化石记录。由于缺乏该物种的可靠记录，其起源和古生物地理历史仍不清楚。根据现有资料，殖民欧洲的伊特鲁里亚鼩鼱种群极有可能起源于亚洲，至少自中更新世以来它就存在于那里。它在地中海盆地的扩散过程显示出一种模式，从 BP 的 4 世纪中叶开始，它逐渐向西扩展其分布。这个过程肯定涉及人类通过航行路线穿越地中海的意外易位，导致它被引入除了欧洲大陆和北非大陆之外的大多数地中海大岛屿。