Endemic Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Bay of Bengal

Mammals
The Islands are very poor in mammal diversity with the exception of bats and rats.
Tikader and Das (1985) reported 58 species and subspecies of mammals from the islands.
Subsequently due to synonymisation of many species, the list has come down to 43 species
and subspecies (Alfred et al., 2002) including marine mammals, (excluding doubtful and
introduced species) of which 9 full species and 10 subspecies (44%) are endemic to the
islands. The subspecies of bat Rhinolophus affinis andamanensis listed by Tikader and Das,
1985 is no longer considered as a subspecies and is synonymised with R. affinis (Alfred et al.,
2002). About 11 species and subspecies of endemic rats have been listed out by Tikader and
Das, 1985, but only three species are considered to be valid endemics (Alfred et al., 2002).
The subspecies R.r. andamanensis (Blyth), pulliventer (Miller), burrulus (Miller) and flebilis
(Miller) are all synonyms of R. tanezumi Temminck and R. r. atridorsum is synonym of R.
rattus which are not endmic.
Systematic Account
Phylum : Vertebrata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Soricomorpha
Family : SORICIDAE
Subfamily : Crocidurinae
1. Crocidura andamanensis Miller
1902. Crocidura andamanensis Miller, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 24 : 777. (Mac Pherson Strait,
South Andaman Island., India)
2002. Crocidura andamanensis : Alfred et al., Rec. zool. Surv. India, Occ. Paper No. 199 : 6.
Common Name : Andaman White-toothed Shrew, Andaman Ground Shrew.
Habitat : Found on semi and evergreen moist forest floor.
Distribution : India : Andaman Islands.
Status : IUCN (CAMP Report, 2005) : Critically endangered; IUCN (Wilson and Reeder, 2005)
Data Deficient. Population, biology and ecology not known fully.
2. Crocidura hispida Thomas
33