Pygmy Shrew (<em>Sorex hoyi</em>) in Montana east of the Rocky Mountains with comments on its distribution across the northern Great Plains

Abstract

Range maps for Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) show a large hiatus over much of the northern Great Plains between the Rocky Mountains and eastern North Dakota. We report a new record of the Pygmy Shrew in northeastern Montana, review previous records for the state and adjacent regions bordering Montana to the north and east, and suggest that the range boundary in the northern Great Plains be redrawn farther south to include all of Montana north of the Missouri River. This is consistent with the known range of the Pygmy Shrew in eastern North Dakota and South Dakota, where the species has been documented only north and east of the Missouri River, although records are still lacking from north of the Missouri River in northwestern North Dakota and adjacent regions of Canada. Pygmy Shrews will probably be found at additional localities in prairie regions of Canada adjacent to Montana, most likely in association with prairie pothole wetlands, river bottom riparian vegetation, and hardwood draws.

Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Species of conservation concern

“…The Williston Basin contains the peripheral range for shrews mentioned in this list, and for Richardson's ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii), northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), and Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii), which probably reflects limited availability of suitable habitat. For example, the pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) is present in eastern Montana and North Dakota; however, the presence of the species is known from just a few specimens (Seabloom, 2011;Hendricks and Lenard, 2014). Notwithstanding those few records, the species is known to be associated with boreal and montane habitats and was previously thought to be absent from the Great Plains (Hendricks and Lenard, 2014).…”

“…For example, the pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) is present in eastern Montana and North Dakota; however, the presence of the species is known from just a few specimens (Seabloom, 2011;Hendricks and Lenard, 2014). Notwithstanding those few records, the species is known to be associated with boreal and montane habitats and was previously thought to be absent from the Great Plains (Hendricks and Lenard, 2014). Similarly, the Arctic shrew (Sorex arcticus) is present throughout much of the boreal forest region of North America but was not detected in Montana until 2001 (Perry and others, 2004).…”