A small shrew recorded in the northern Peruvian Andes. Its 2018 original description reports specimens from montane forest and páramo in Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary.
Its back is deep olive to metallic bronze, while its underside is drab citrine. The hairs are gray at the base with lighter tips; the small ear pinnae are furred.
The shrew described as Cryptotis evaristoi has large forefeet, long foreclaws, a short tail and a rounded braincase. The original specimens came from highland grassland and mountain forest in northern Peru’s Tabaconas Namballe sanctuary.
The 2018 description compared 17 specimens. A 2025 reassessment highlighted that the name-bearing specimen of Cryptotis peruviensis, used for comparison, was still subadult. Researchers distinguished adults from subadults using the degree of fusion between skull bones.
After reassessing skulls and teeth alongside genetic evidence, the researchers proposed treating the two names as one species. Some differences in size and dental form could reflect growth. Museum specimens thus supported both the original description and a later reassessment.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
SERNANP’s report with a cutoff of 23 April 2024 recorded habitat loss associated with agriculture and livestock in Tabaconas Namballe, the protected area containing the original collection sites. Retaining mountain forest and highland grassland and limiting land-use damage are important for protecting this population’s habitat. Comparing affected areas with actual shrew occurrence would further inform local conservation decisions.