We studied the morphology, DNA sequence, and Recent and Pleistocene distrib
utions of three species of the water shrew genus Neomys (N. fodiens, N. ano
malus, and N. teres) represented by samples from the Balkans and Asia Minor
. Adaptations to semi-aquatic life (large body size, fringes of stiff hairs
bordering the hind foot, and a tail keel) were most developed in N. fodien
s and N. teres and least developed in N. anomalus. However, sympatric N. fo
diens and N. anomalus did not differ significantly in relative braincase si
ze. The three Neomys species clearly differed in glans penis morphology, N.
teres being the most distinct, with a longer glans (length = 10.8-14.6 mm)
than N. anomalus (7.0-8.0 mm) or N. fodiens (7.5-8.5 mm). Phylogenetic ana
lysis placed N. fodiens as a sister-group to the anomalus-teres clade, base
d on both cytochrome b and 12S rRNA fragments. Palaeodistribution maps are
presented for the three Recent taxa and the palaeospecies N. newtoni and N.
browni. Possible evolutionary scenarios are proposed.