Ili whistle bunny

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Ili whistle bunny
Systematics
Subclass : Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate : Euarchontoglires
Order : Hare-like (Lagomorpha)
Family : Ochotonidae
Genre : Pika ( Ochotona )
Type : Ili whistle bunny
Scientific name
Ochotona iliensis
Li & Ma , 1986

The Ili-Pfeifhase ( Ochotona iliensis ) is a mammal from the family of the Pfeifhasen within the hare-like . The range is limited to the Tian Shan in the Chinese Autonomous Region of Xinjiang and the animals are only known from a very small number of sightings.

features

The Ili-Pfeifhase is a relatively large pipe-hare with large ears and long hind legs. He reaches a body length of 19 to 20 centimeters and a body weight of 200 to 250 grams. The hind feet are 42 to 43 millimeters long, the ears 36 to 37 millimeters. The back fur is gray to light brown, on the forehead and neck the species has clear red-brown spots. Some individuals also have a red-brown stripe on their back. The back legs and neck are the same color as the fur on the back. The muzzle is light. The rounded and large ears are very hairy and have a border of long red-brown hair. Purely black, melanistic , individuals can occur. There is no information about potential seasonal changes in coat color.

The skull reaches a total length of 44 to 45 millimeters, a maximum width of 24 to 25 millimeters and a height of 17 millimeters. It is therefore relatively large. The incisor window and the palate window merge and form a single, pear-shaped window.

distribution

Distribution area of ​​the Ili-Pfeifhasen ( Ochotona iliensis )

The Ili pika is endemic to the People's Republic of China and is only known from the Borochoro and the Halke Shan , two mountain ranges in the Tian Shan , in the autonomous region of Xinjiang . It is named after its place of discovery in the autonomous district of Ili . Within the very limited area, the distribution area is highly fragmented. Surveys from 2005 found a clear decline in the species in the areas; the species no longer occurs in 57% of the formerly populated regions.

The Ili Pfeifhase lives on scree slopes on rock walls and on steep slopes at altitudes between 2800 and 4100 meters.

Way of life

Very little information is available about the way of life of this pika. It is largely diurnal, but can also be out at night, and generally feeds on green plants, which it stores in crevices in the form of hay bales. The habitat is characterized by rocky areas with crevices and rubble, with the animals mainly staying on the steep slopes.

The Ili-Pfeifhasen are territorial loners and live in low density, a vocal communication between the animals does not take place or only rarely. They are active both during the day and at night, with the activity times shifting depending on the season. In spring to autumn the main activity time is at night, in winter it shifts to the day. Based on images, it is assumed that locomotion and ecological behavior hardly differ from that of related species.

The mating season is from May to September and, unlike other species of pigeon, this species is likely to reproduce less often. The female only produces one or two litters per year, the number of young per litter is unknown. The breeding chamber is created in crevices or holes in the rubble.

Systematics

Phylogenetic systematics of some pigeons according to Niu et al. 2004
  Whistle hares  

 other whistles


   

 Ladakh pika ( O. ladacensis )


   



 Red Pika ( Ochotona rutila )


   

 Koslow-Pfeifhase ( O. koslowi )




   

 Ili pika ( Ochotona iliensis )


   


 Big-eared pika ( O. macrotis )


   

 Royle pika ( O. roylii )








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The Ili-Pfeifhase was assigned to the Pfeifhasen (genus Ochotona ) as an independent species , subspecies are not known. It was first described in Chinese by Weidong Li and Yong Ma in Acta Zoologica Sinica in 1986. Since the accidental discovery of the species in 1983 by Li at Jilimalale and their description in 1986, very few animals of the species have been sighted that have been science only 29 live animals known by 2015.

No data are available on the relationship to other species; due to the reddish-brown color, a closer relationship with Ochotona erythrotis and Ochotona rutila is assumed. Wilson & Reeder 2005 placed the species in the subgenus Conothoa and assumed a potential relationship with the big-eared pika ( Ochotona macrotis ) and the royle piper ( Ochotona roylei ). In 2004, a phylogenetic analysis based on the sequence of cytochrome b was published , in which the sister group ratio of the big-eared and Royle pika was confirmed and the Ili piper was classified as a sister species of the two. When Andrei Alexandrowitsch Lissowski revised the taxonomy in 2013 on the basis of craniometric features and the sequence of cytochrome b, the Ili-Pfeifhase was not taken into account, as only one skull is available and the database is too small. However, he also placed it in the subgenus Conothoa and thus in the relationship of the named species.

No subspecies are distinguished within the species.

Hazard and protection

The species is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) due to its very limited range and the sharp decline in populations. At the beginning of the 1990s, the total population was estimated at around 2000 animals. There has been a sharp decline in populations in several regions, and 57% of the areas where the species lived 20 years ago ceased to exist in 2005. Accordingly, it is also on the Red List in China as an endangered species.

The reasons for the decline are unknown, but it is believed that they are due to increasing feeding pressure in the distribution areas as well as the effects of global pollution and global warming . Due to the small size of the population, the limited numbers of offspring and the limited adaptability of the species, there is little chance of an improvement in the population.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Ili Pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 282. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l A.A. Lissovsky: Ili Pika - Ochotona iliensis. 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. 60. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Ed.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF; 11.3 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990; P. 37. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Ochotona iliensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Accessed June 27, 2012th
  5. ↑ a b Yidong Niu, Fuwen Wei, Ming Li, Xiaoming Liu, Zuojian Feng: Phylogeny of pikas (Lagomorpha, Ochotona) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences. Folia Zoologica - International Journal of Vertebrate Zoology 53 (2), 2004; Pp. 141-155. ( Full text ).
  6. ^ A b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Ochotona (Conothoa) iliensis in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
  7. ^ Li Weidong, Ma Yong: A new species of Ochotona, Ochotonidae, Lagomropha. Acta Zoologica Sinica, 1986-04. ( Abstract ).
  8. ↑ Carrie Arnold: Unbelievably Cute Mammal With Teddy Bear Face Rediscovered , National Geographic March 19, 2015.
  9. ^ Andrey A. Lissovsky: Taxonomic revision of pikas Ochotona (Lagomorpha, Mammalia) at the species level. In: Mammalia 2014; 78 (2): 199-216. doi: 10.1515 / mammalia-2012-0134

literature

Web links

Commons : Ochotona iliensis  - collection of images, videos and audio files