Mekong vole

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Mekong vole
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Voles (arvicolinae)
Tribe : Arvicolini
Genre : Neodon
Type : Mekong vole
Scientific name
Neodon forresti
Hinton , 1923

The Mekong vole ( Neodon forresti ) is a rodent species from the genus Neodon within the voles (Arvicolinae). It occurs in the south of the People's Republic of China and in Myanmar .

features

The Mekong vole reaches a head-trunk length of 10.0 to 13.5 centimeters with a tail of 3.6 to 4.3 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is 17 to 20 millimeters, the ear length 13 to 15 millimeters. It is one of the larger species of the genus. The back fur is dark brown, the peritoneum gray with gray-white wash. It corresponds in appearance to the Gansu rock vole ( Neodon irene ), but is somewhat larger and has a longer and darker back fur. The tail is two-colored with a dark brown top and a white underside. The tops of the feet and hands are grayish white.

distribution

The Mekong vole occurs in the south of the People's Republic of China and in the north of Myanmar . The distribution area in China is limited to the northwest of Yunnan on the area between the Mekong and the Yangtze .

Way of life

As with other species of the genus, very little information is available about the way of life of the Mekong vole. It lives mainly in stony mountain meadows at altitudes around 3350 to 3650 meters.

Systematics

The Mekong bank vole is classified as a separate species within the genus Neodon , which consists of four to five species. The first scientific description comes from the British zoologist Martin Alister Campbell Hinton , who described the species in 1923 using individuals from the area between the Mekong and the Yangtze in northwestern Yunnan. Due to its morphological proximity, it was partially regarded as a southern subspecies of the Gansu rock vole ( Neodon irene ) or as a subspecies of the Sikkim rock vole ( Neodon sikimensis ).

Status, threat and protection

The Mekong bank vole is not included in a hazard category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) because there is insufficient data on lifestyle, ecology and populations (data deficient). Potential endangerment risks for the species are not known.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Forrest's Mountain 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 , pp. 236-237.
  2. ↑ a b c Neodon forresti in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: CH Johnston, AT Smith, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b Neodon forresti . 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: Forrest's Mountain 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 , pp. 236-237.

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