Etruscan Shrew vs

Suncus etruscus compared with Exobasidium splendidum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Etruscan Shrew
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Exobasidiomycetes (Exobasidiomycetes)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Exobasidiales (Exobasidiales)
Family	Soricidae	Exobasidiaceae
Genus	Suncus	Exobasidium
Species	Suncus etruscus	Exobasidium splendidum

Conservation Status

Etruscan Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Etruscan Shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Etruscan Shrew

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus, Yemen) and Europe (6 countries).

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

Etruscan Shrew

Etruscan Shrew (Suncus etruscus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Exobasidium splendidum is a parasitic basidiomycete fungus that forms galls and hypertrophied growths on the leaves and stems of host plants in the heath family. It inhabits boreal and montane habitats where Ericaceae shrubs such as Arctostaphylos grow. This parasitic fungus deforms host plant tissue to extract nutrients during its reproductive phase.