Anderson white-bellied rat

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Anderson white-bellied rat
Systematics
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Rattini
Dacnomys group
Genre : White-bellied rats ( Niviventer )
Type : Anderson white-bellied rat
Scientific name
Niviventer andersoni
( Thomas , 1911)

The Anderson white-bellied rat ( Niviventer andersoni ) is a rodent species from the genus of the white-bellied rats ( Niviventer ) within the old world mice (Murinae). It occurs on the eastern edge of the highlands of Tibet and the Himalayas in central and southern China .

features

The Anderson white-bellied rat reaches a head-torso length of 15.0 to 19.8 centimeters with a tail of 19.4 to 26.9 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is about 31 to 40 millimeters, the ear length 22 to 28 millimeters. The skull has a total length of 39 to 46 millimeters.

The back fur is long and soft, it is dark grayish-brown in color and interspersed with black hair on the midline of the back. The sides of the body and the cheeks are lighter ocher-brown and the belly is creamy white and clearly set off from the back and the flanks. The species has a black mark on the head that extends from the vibrissae over the eyes and to the base of the ears. The tail is longer than the length of the head and trunk and has a little pronounced tassel of longer hair at the end. It is two-colored with a dark brown top, which becomes lighter at the end and white in the last third, and a pale brown underside. The tops of the hands and feet are usually dark brown, but the toes and sides are white.

In appearance, the species is similar to the Sichuan white-bellied rat ( Niviventer excelsior ), with which it occurs sympatricly in parts of the distribution area , but is darker and larger than this. An important distinguishing feature is the length of the molar row in the teeth, which is 7.2 to 8.3 millimeters for the Anderson white-bellied rat and less than 7.2 millimeters for the Sichuan white-bellied rat.

distribution

The Anderson white-bellied rat is found on the eastern edge of the highlands of Tibet and the Himalayas in central and southern China . The distribution area includes parts of eastern Xizang , Yunnan , Sichuan and Shaanxi and probably also northern Guishou . Documented finds from the northeast of Myanmar probably belong to a different species, the same applies to animals from Taiwan and other regions outside the known range.

Way of life

Little information is available about the way of life of the Anderson white-bellied rat. It lives in high mountain forests at altitudes of 2000 to 3000 meters.

Systematics

The Anderson white-bellied rat is classified as a separate species within the white-bellied rats ( Niviventer ), which consists of 17 species. The first scientific description comes from the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas , who described the species in 1911 using individuals from the Omi San in Sichuan. The species was named after the explorer and animal collector Malcolm Playfair Anderson , who collected it on a collecting trip on behalf of the Zoological Society of London and made it available to Thomas. The species is closely related to the Sichuan white-bellied rat ( Niviventer excelsior ), with whom it shares some characteristics that set it apart from other species of the genus.

Status, threat and protection

The Anderson white-bellied rat is classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified with the large distribution area, the assumed large stocks in their distribution area and the small decline in stocks. No potential hazards are known.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Anderson's Niviventer. 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. 265-266.
  2. ↑ a b c Niviventer andersoni in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: AT Smith, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b c Niviventer andersoni . 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. 12; ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 .

literature

  • Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Anderson's Niviventer. 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. 265-266.

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