Chinese water vole
| Chinese water vole | ||||||||||||
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| Microtus limnophilus | ||||||||||||
| Büchner , 1889 |
The Chinese water vole or sea vole ( Microtus limnophilus ) is a rodent species from the genus of field mice ( Microtus ) within the voles (Arvicolinae). It occurs in the central People's Republic of China and in Mongolia .
features
The Chinese water vole reaches a head-trunk length of 8.8 to 11.8 centimeters with a tail of 3.2 to 4.4 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is 20 to 21 millimeters, the ear length 13 to 14 millimeters. The fur on the back is distinctly yellow, the individual hairs have a gray base and a pale yellow tip. The belly side is white-gray, partly with a blue-gray effect. The tail is two-colored on the top sand-colored brown and white on the underside. The tops of the hands and feet are sand-colored and whitish. The female has eight teats , two pairs each in the chest and abdomen area.
The tooth structure resembles that of the field mouse ( Microtus arvalis ), but differs in the enamel of the first lower molar m1.
distribution
The Chinese water vole is found in the central People's Republic of China and Mongolia . The distribution area extends from the north of Sichuan and the east of Qinghai via Gansu to the south of Shaanxi . It is also proven in Ningxia . In Mongolia it comes along the basin of the Great Lakes (Mongolian I nuuruudyn chotgor ), the Dsungarian Basin of Gobi and the Trans-Altai Gobi ago.
Way of life
Very little information is available about the way of life of the Chinese water vole. It lives in areas of the salt desert and in mountain meadows, like other field mice, it feeds on herbivores .
Systematics
The Chinese water 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 Eugen Büchner , who described the species in 1899 using individuals from Qinghai. The species was partially classified as a subspecies of the swamp mouse ( Microtus oeconomus ), today it is assigned to the subgenus Alexandromys within the field mice as a separate species.
Status, threat and protection
The Chinese water vole is classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified with the comparatively large distribution area and the assumed large populations of the species. Potential endangerment risks for the species are currently not known. In parts of Mongolia, it is regionally affected by habitat degradation caused by overgrazing by grazing cattle. Added to this is the drying up of water bodies in the distribution area. In China, the species is regionally regarded as a pest and controlled.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Lacustrine 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. 232.
- ↑ a b c d e Microtus limnophilus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Posted by: N. Batsaikhan, AT Smith, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ a b Microtus (Alexandromys) limnophilus . 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 .
literature
- Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Lacustrine 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. 232.
Web links
- Microtus limnophilus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Posted by: N. Batsaikhan, AT Smith, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2016.