A shrew from the mountains of western Sichuan, China. Its back ranges from slate gray to dark brown, the underside is smoky gray, and the tail is brown above and whitish below.
The dorsal fur is slate gray to dark brown and the underside smoky gray. The tail is about as long as head-and-body, brown above and glossy whitish below.
In this shrew of the Sichuan mountains in China, the posterior cusp of the upper incisor is lower than the first unicuspid immediately behind it. The frontal region of the skull is arched, adding small structural features to the species’ appearance.
A 2025 study compared six adult skulls of this species with related shrews. In E. caudatus the posterior incisor cusp and first unicuspid are similar in height. The researchers also compared genetic material from Sichuan localities including Lushan and Erlangshan. Their combined morphological and genetic evidence supported recognizing this shrew as a distinct species.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
On Mount Emei, the locality from which this species was originally described, Sichuan forest firefighters reported patrols at trails and entrances in May 2024, drone checks for fire hazards and visitor education on preventing fires.