Koslow pika

Koslow pika
Systematics
Subclass :	Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate :	Euarchontoglires
Order :	Hare-like (Lagomorpha)
Family :	Ochotonidae
Genre :	Pika ( Ochotona )
Type :	Koslow pika
Scientific name
	Okhotona Koslowi
	( Büchner , 1894)

The Koslow-Pfeifhase ( Ochotona koslowi ) is a species of mammal from the family of the Pfeifhasen (Ochotonidae) within the hare-like (Lagomorpha). Their distribution area is limited to individual areas on the Kunlun in the Chinese tundra.

features

The Koslow-Pfeifhase is a large pika with a body length of 22 to 24 centimeters and a weight of 150 to 180 grams. In summer it has a monochrome, light, whitish to yellow-brown fur with a wine-red color on the back. The belly side is covered with a thick, yellow or gray-white fur. In winter, the color of the back, like the rest of the body, is yellow-white. The thickness and also the density of the fur is greater in this species than in all other species of the pika. The ears reach a length of 16 to 20 millimeters and are yellow-white with a whitish border.

The skull differs significantly from that of other pigeons: it is very strongly curved and has a very narrow interorbital region as well as a short snout with comparatively wide and short nasal bones .

distribution

Distribution area of Okhotona Koslowi

The koslow pika is endemic to the People's Republic of China . Within the very limited area, the range is highly fragmented and concentrated in three known regions of the Chinese tundra. The location of the type specimen of the first scientific description was given as "Valley of the Winds" (German: "Valley of the Wind") and was probably in the central to western Kunlun near the border of the provinces of Qinghai , Xizang and Xinjiang . In addition, the species occurs southeast of Mount Kongke in the transition from Kunlun to Kala-Kunlun and in the Arjin Mountain Nature Reserve . According to recent studies, the distribution areas lie within an area between Lake Aqik, Yueya River and Lake Tuzi in an 800 km long east-west strip parallel to the Kala Kunlun Mountains.

Way of life

Very little information is available about the way of life of this pika. It lives on sandy mountain meadows at altitudes between 4200 and 4800 meters. The vegetation is characterized by cold-tolerant grasses such as Carex moocroftii and Stipa purpurea . Ochotona koslowi is largely diurnal and generally feeds on plants, the preferred plants being Oxytropis falcate , Androsace acrolasia and Myricaria prostrata , among others . He digs shallow structures with a maximum depth of 30 to 40 centimeters and lives socially in family groups in greater densities of 44 to 152 structures per hectare.

In contrast to other species, this species reproduces very little. The females only get one litter per year with four to eight pups per litter; they are equipped with 8 teats, with the first pair in front of the front legs.

Systematics

The Koslow-Pfeifhase was assigned as a separate species to the Pfeifhasen (genus Ochotona ) and the subgenus Conothoa , subspecies are not known. On the basis of molecular data, Ochotona ladacensis has been described as a sister species of O. koslowi .

The species was named after the Russian explorer Pyotr Kozlov .

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 of less than 5000 square kilometers and the sharp decline in populations and usable habitats. After the first description in 1884, the species was no longer documented until the 1980s and even today it is only known from a few localities.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Koslov’s Pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; Pp. 282-283. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .

↑ ^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 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ochotona koslowi in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2012.

↑ ^a ^b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Ochotona koslowi in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).

↑ Bo Beolens, Michael Watkins, Michael Grayson: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2009, ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 , p. 229. ( Google Books )

literature

Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Eds.): 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 .
Koslov's Pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; Pp. 282-283. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .

Web links

Commons : Koslow-Pfeifhase ( Ochotona koslowi ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Ochotona koslowi inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2012.

[Smith_&_Yan_Xie_2009-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Koslov’s Pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; Pp. 282-283. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .

[Chapman_&_Flux-2] 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 .