Amur vole

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Amur vole
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Voles (arvicolinae)
Tribe : Arvicolini
Genre : Field mice ( Microtus )
Type : Amur vole
Scientific name
Microtus maximowiczii
Schrenk , 1859

The Amur vole ( Microtus maximowiczii ) is a rodent species from the genus of field mice ( Microtus ) within the voles (Arvicolinae). It occurs in the northeast of the People's Republic of China , in Russia and in Mongolia .

features

The Amur vole reaches a head-trunk length of 11.6 to 15.5 centimeters with a tail of 3.7 to 6.0 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is 18 to 22 millimeters, the ear length 12 to 16.5 millimeters. It is a large species of field mice, but it is not quite as large as the reed vole ( Microtus fortis ). Its appearance corresponds to that of the swamp mouse ( Microtus oeconomus ), from which it differs mainly in the tooth features of the first lower molar . The back fur is dark black-brown with ocher-colored speckles. The sides of the body are paler brown and merge into the dark gray whitish belly side. The tail is monochrome dark brown or two-tone with a brown top and a white underside. The feet have six balls underneath.

distribution

The Amur vole occurs in the northeast of the People's Republic of China , in Russia from the east of Lake Baikal to the east, in the area of ​​the Amur basin and in northeast Mongolia in the Ikh-Hyangan mountain range.

Way of life

As with other species of the genus, little information is available about the way of life of the Amur vole. It lives in valley areas of mountain regions rich in vegetation and in river valleys. Your activity time is mainly in the early morning and late evening. Like other field mice they feed on herbivores from plants, especially grasses. The animals create burrows in the dense vegetation and leave heaps of earth 15 to 20 centimeters in height within 50 to 100 centimeters of the burrow. The passage is about 20 to 30 centimeters long and leads into a nest chamber with a diameter of up to 35 centimeters at a height of about 25 centimeters. They also dig feed chambers in which they store roots and tubers as winter supplies. No information is available about reproduction; pregnant females with seven to nine embryos have been documented.

Systematics

The Amur vole is classified as an independent species within the field mice ( Microtus ), which consists of more than 60 species. The first scientific description comes from the German-Russian zoologist Leopold von Schrenck , who described the species in 1859 using individuals from the region on the upper Amur in the area of ​​the mouth of the Omutnaya in the Chita Oblast . The species is assigned to the subgenus Alexandromys within the field mice and is very closely related to the Buryatia vole ( Microtus mujanensis ) and the Evoron vole ( Microtus evoronensis ).

The species was named after the German-Russian botanist Karl Johann Maximowicz , who accompanied Leopold von Schrenck from 1854 to 1856 on a research trip to the Amur region.

Status, threat and protection

The Amur vole is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (least concern). This is justified with the large distribution area and the large populations of the species. Due to the lack of data on the populations, no information is given about potential threats to the species; changes in habitat could mean local risks.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Maximovicz's Vole. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 232-233.
  2. ↑ a b c d Microtus maximowiczii in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2016.2. Posted by: N. Batsaikhan, K. Tsytsulina, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b Microtus (Alexandromys) maximowiczii . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
  4. ↑ Bo Beolens, Michael Grayson, Michael Watkins: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009; P. 265; ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 .

literature

  • Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Maximovicz's Vole. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 232-233.

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