Cestode diversity in shrews from islands in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.

A comparative analysis of taxonomic diversity on shrew cestodes among four islands in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk (Sakhalin, Kunashir, Hokkaido, and Moneron) was performed. Cestode species shared among the islands were identified and their host specificity was investigated. On Sakhalin Island, 33 species of the families Hymenolepididae, Dilepididae and Mesocestoididae were recorded in four shrew species (, , and ).

n. sp. from shrews on Sakhalin Island, Russia, with an amended diagnosis of Neoskrjabinolepis Spassky, 1947 (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea: Hymenolepididae), a key, and a review on geographical distribution of the species.

A taxonomic review was performed on cestodes of the genus Spassky, 1947 that parasitize different species of shrews in different regions of the northern Palearctic and in the Nearctic (Alaska, USA). Information on Palearctic cestodes published in various articles is summarized. An overview of the geographical distribution of the species is also presented.

New cestode species of the genus Neoskrjabinolepis Spassky, 1947 (Cyclophyllidea: Hymenolepididae) from the Common Shrew (Sorex araneus L.) in Europe.

Neoskrjabinolepis (Neoskrjabinolepis) yanchevi n. sp. is described from common shrews Sorex araneus L.

First Data on the Contact Zone and Hybridization between the Cryptic Species of Shrews Sorex araneus and S. satunini (Eulipotyphla, Mammalia).

For the first time, based on sequence variation of microsatellite loci and the mtDNA cytb gene fragment, population genetic structure of the common shrew and Caucasian shrew in their contact zone was investigated. It was demonstrated that, although there was no complete reproductive isolation between the species under consideration, the gene flow was considerably limited. These data testify to the established reliable reproductive barriers between the common shrew and Caucasian shrew.