Brandt's Mongolian vole
| Brandt's Mongolian vole | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brandt's Mongolian vole ( Lasiopodomys brandtii ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lasiopodomys brandtii | ||||||||||||
| ( Radde , 1861) |
Brandt's Mongolian vole or Brandt vole ( Lasiopodomys brandtii ) is a rodent species from the subfamily of voles (Arvicolinae). It occurs in parts of Mongolia , in eastern Russia and in the north of the People's Republic of China .
features
Brandt's Mongolian vole reaches a head-trunk length of 11.0 to 13.0 centimeters with a tail 2.2 to 3.0 centimeters in length and a weight of 55 to 84 grams. The rear foot length is 18 to 24 millimeters, the ear length 9 to 12 millimeters. The body color of the animals is light pale sand-colored or yellow with individual black hairs. On the cheeks below the eyes, the black hair is missing and these appear lighter and stronger yellow. The back color changes over the flanks into the sand-colored gray color of the abdomen. The short tail is a single color, pale sandy brown. The top of the feet is covered with pale sand-colored and white fur, and long and sharp claws are formed on all toes.
The skull has a length of 25 to 30 millimeters. The zygomatic arches are wide and the adult animals have a distinct bony crest in the middle of the interorbital region. As with all species of the genus, the molars are rootless and constantly grow back. Characteristic tooth features relate to the structure of the upper molar M3 and the lower molar m3. The genome of the animals consists of a diploid chromosome set of 2n = 34 chromosomes.
distribution
Brandt's Mongolian vole occurs in parts of Mongolia , in eastern Russia and in the north of the People's Republic of China . In China she lives in Nei Mongol , Hebei and Jilin .
Way of life
Brandt's Mongolian vole lives in dry grassy areas of the steppes to semi-deserts at heights of around 2000 meters, preferring areas with low grass vegetation of 30 to 130 millimeters. The animals are strictly herbivorous and feed on green grasses around their burrows in summer and on stored dry grass in winter, whereby a single family can store up to 10 kilograms of grass. They are diurnal and only come out of their burrows when the air has already been significantly heated by the sun. The animals live in large colonies and build both very simple and complex building systems at depths of 14 to 24 centimeters. The entrances are about 3 to 5 centimeters wide and surrounded by clear mounds of earth 4 centimeters high and up to a distance of 25 centimeters. The simple burrows have no stores or nest chambers and are usually inhabited by a single young animal. The more complex structures have four to twelve entrance holes with higher ejecta mounds. They can have up to two nest chambers and four storage chambers and are usually inhabited by several adult and older animals. The complex structures are usually 10 to 30 meters long and cover an area of 8 to 23 m 2 . The communication consists of individual, high-pitched and shrill warning whistles that are emitted when there is potential danger.
Reproduction takes place from mid-March to September. During this time, the females produce four to five litters from six to eight young animals each, and under good conditions up to 15 young animals. Ecologically, the species is seen as a key species for the populated habitats, as they loosen up the dry soil through their digging activity and influence plant growth and biodiversity accordingly. The animals have a regionally different reproduction cycle of three to 14 years, during which very large numbers of offspring can appear periodically. In the eastern parts of the distribution area there is a mass increase about every 4 years and in the period from 1954 to 2004 17 of these mass increases were documented in Inner Mongolia, in which up to five times the amount of offspring were produced. The frequency of the mass reproductions increased in the later years. The predators of voles are numerous birds of prey and predators, including the manul ( Otocolobus manul ) and the steppe iltis ( Mustela eversmanii ), which, however, have little influence on the population density.
Systematics
Brandt's Mongolian vole is classified as an independent species within the genus Lasiopodomys , which consists of three species. The first scientific description comes from the German naturalist Gustav Radde , who described the species in 1861 using individuals from northeast Mongolia in the area near Tarei-Nor . The species was partially assigned to the genus Microtus .
Status, threat and protection
Brandt's Mongolian vole is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as least concern. This is justified with the very large distribution area and the frequent occurrence of the species. Potential endangerment risks for the species are not known. The animals are viewed regionally as pests and, especially in overgrazed areas, they compete with grazing cattle for grass resources. Some of them were fought with bromadiolone , which however had little effect on voles and significantly more on grazing animals and humans; corresponding actions have therefore been discontinued. In the 20th century the settlement area of the species has increased significantly.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Brandt'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 , p. 227.
- ↑ a b Lasiopodomys brandtii . 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 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Lasiopodomys brandtii in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: AT Smith, CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
literature
- Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Brandt'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 , p. 227.
Web links
- Lasiopodomys brandtii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: AT Smith, CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2016.