Sorex fossils (Soricidae, Insectivora) from the Middle Pleistocene cave site of Shanyangzhai, Hebei Province, China

This paper reports the Sorex fossils found in the Middle Pleistocene Shanyangzhai cave sediments in Qinhuangdao city of North China. The red shrew fossils include Sorex araneus, Sorex minutus, Sorex minutissimus and Sorex cf. mirabilis. S. minutus is reported for the first time in Middle Pleistocene sediments in China. It is smaller than S. araneus. S. minutissimus is the first find in China. Based on different position of the mental foramen, it can be distinguished from S. minutus. S. cf. mirabilis is the first fossil record of this species. Combining previously reported Sorex fossils across China, it seems that more species may have existed. The number of fossil Sorex species cited to date from China has increased to 5.