Abstract
The Eurasian pygmy shrew, Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766 (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), one of the smallest terrestrial mammals, is widely distributed from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula across continental Europe to Siberia. The species has been recorded at elevations from sea level to 2,500 m in the European Alps. This note reports two new elevational records that extend the known elevational range by 780 metres higher. Three individuals were collected as bycatch in pitfall traps for ground-dwelling invertebrates above 3,000 m elevation in the Eastern Alps in South Tyrol, Italy. Additionally, we provide data on the potential prey at these sparsely vegetated high alpine sites, where Coleoptera (mainly Carabidae) and Arachnida (Opiliones and Araneae) dominated in abundance and biomass, suggesting that they represent the main trophic resources.