Ochotona sikimaria

Ochotona sikimaria
Systematics
Subclass :	Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate :	Euarchontoglires
Order :	Hare-like (Lagomorpha)
Family :	Ochotonidae
Genre :	Pika ( Ochotona )
Type :	Ochotona sikimaria
Scientific name
	Ochotona sikimaria
	Thomas , 1922

Ochotona sikimaria ( synonym : Ochotona thibetana sikimaria ) is a species of mammal belonging to the family of the piphare (Ochotonidae) within the hare-like (Lagomorpha). Their distribution area is in the state of Sikkim in the Himalayas in northern India . The animals have long been considered a subspecies of the Moupin Pigeon Rabbit ( Ochotona thibetana ) and were raised to species status in 2016 on the basis of molecular biological characteristics.

features

Ochotona sikimaria does not differ significantly from the Moupin pika ( Ochotona thibetana ) and the Gansu piper ( Ochotona cansus ) in terms of external features and skull dimensions ; all features are within the range of variation of these two species. The species were delimited solely on the basis of genetic and molecular biological characteristics.

distribution

Ochotona sikimaria lives in the state of Sikkim in the Himalayas in northern India . A search for representatives of the species in neighboring regions of India brought no findings. The distribution areas of the nearest populations of the Moupin pigeon and the Gansu pigeon are more than 1200 kilometers away from those of the Ochotona sikimaria , there is an overlap with the distribution area of the black-lipped pigeon ( Ochotona curzoniae ).

Way of life

The habitat of Ochotona sikimaria is located in the high mountains of the Himalayas at altitudes of around 2600 to almost 5000 meters, with the animals mainly using rhododendron stocks as habitats. There is no information about the way of life of the animals, as it has so far been treated as a subspecies of the Moupin Pika and has not been examined separately. Like all pika-hares, Ochotona sikimaria feeds on plant material, probably using crevices in the rock as hiding places and burrows.

Systematics

Ochotona sikimaria has been regarded as an independent species of the pika (genus Ochotona ) since 2016 . The first scientific description comes from Oldfield Thomas from 1922. It was assigned to the Moupin pigeon ( Ochotona thibetana ) as a subspecies, based on a more comprehensive analysis, mainly based on molecular biological data of the mitochondrial DNA, raised in the species status in 2016. According to the results, there is a close relationship mainly to the Gansu pika ( Ochotona cansus ), from which Ochotona sikimaria was genetically separated about 1.5 million years ago and was able to establish itself as a separate species.

Apart from the nominate form , no subspecies are distinguished.

Hazard and protection

Ochotona sikimaria is currently not yet considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as an independent species and is therefore not classified. However, in the entry of the Moupin Pfeifhasen the new species status and other possible cryptic species are pointed out. As early as 1990, Chapman & Flux pointed out the particular threat of the then subspecies Ochotona thibetana sikimaria in northern India due to the decline in available habitats and, above all, the destruction of rhododendron populations as a result of the expansion of agricultural land and settlement areas.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e N. Dahal, AA Lissovsky, Z. Lin, K. Solari, EA Hadly, X. Zhan, U. Ramakrishnan: Genetics, morphology and ecology reveal a cryptic pika lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 106, 2016; Pp. 55-60. doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2016.09.015

^ New species of pika found in Sikkim The Hindu, September 26, 2016; accessed on April 12, 2018.

↑ ^a ^b Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Ed.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF file; 10.74 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990; Pp. 52-53. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .

↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Ochotona (Ochotona) thibetana sikimaria in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).

^ AA Lissovsky: Moupin Pika - Ochotona thibetana. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; P. 47. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .

↑ Ochotona thibetana in the IUCN 2017-3 Red List of Endangered Species . Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , S. Liu, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

literature

N. Dahal, AA Lissovsky, Z. Lin, K. Solari, EA Hadly, X. Zhan, U. Ramakrishnan: Genetics, morphology and ecology reveal a cryptic pika lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 106, 2016; Pp. 55-60. doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2016.09.015

[Dahal_et_al._2016-1] N. Dahal, AA Lissovsky, Z. Lin, K. Solari, EA Hadly, X. Zhan, U. Ramakrishnan: Genetics, morphology and ecology reveal a cryptic pika lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 106, 2016; Pp. 55-60. doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2016.09.015

[The_Hindu_2016-2] New species of pika found in Sikkim The Hindu, September 26, 2016; accessed on April 12, 2018.

[Chapman_&_Flux-3] Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Ed.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF file; 10.74 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990; Pp. 52-53. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .

[Wilson_&_Reeder_2005-4] Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Ochotona (Ochotona) thibetana sikimaria in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).

[HMW_2016-5] AA Lissovsky: Moupin Pika - Ochotona thibetana. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; P. 47. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .