Mongolian Pika

Mongolian Pika
	Mongolian Pika ( Ochotona pallasi )
Systematics
Subclass :	Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate :	Euarchontoglires
Order :	Hare-like (Lagomorpha)
Family :	Ochotonidae
Genre :	Pika ( Ochotona )
Type :	Mongolian Pika
Scientific name
	Ochotona pallasi
	( Gray , 1867)

The Mongolian Pfeifhase ( Ochotona pallasi ) is a mammal from the family of the Pfeifhasen (Ochotonidae) within the hare-like (Lagomorpha). Their distribution area is in the Gobi and Altai in Asia.

features

The Mongolian Pika is a medium-sized Pika with a body length of 16 to 22 centimeters and a weight of 174 to 254 grams. In summer it has a sandy yellow to brown fur with brown to reddish brown spots on the sides of the neck behind the ears. The ventral side is dull gray to yellowish in color. The balls of the feet are bare and black, so they differ significantly from those of the sympathetic Daurian pigeon hare ( O. dorturica ) with very hairy feet. In winter, the back color is light gray or yellowish gray, the ventral side gray-white. The ears reach a length of 18 to 23 millimeters, the hind feet are 27 to 36 millimeters long.

The skull is slightly curved. The incisor and palate windows are completely separated from each other in this type. The eye relief is narrow and the tympanic bladder is large. The genome consists of 2n = 38 chromosomes .

distribution

Distribution area of the Mongolian Pika

The Mongolian Pika lives in the Gobi and Altai areas in Asia. The distribution area includes parts of the autonomous republics Altai and Tuwa in Russia , Kazakhstan , Mongolia and the provinces of Nei Mongol and Xinjiang in the People's Republic of China . In Mongolia, the species historically occurred in the Tsagaan Bogd Uul mountain range in the Mongolian Altai, where it has not been seen for a long time. It is believed that it only occurs here in isolation on individual mountains of the Atas Bogd Uul .

The altitude distribution of the animals is usually between 1000 and 3200 meters.

Way of life

The habitat of the Mongolian pigeon hare is characterized by desert steppes or mountain meadows. The choice of habitats differs for the different subspecies; O. p. pallasi prefers stony surfaces, O. p. pricei occurs mainly in dry steppe areas and O. p. sunidica lives between crevices in the rock. Depending on the habitat, the animals live in stone piles and crevices or, with O. p. pricei , in self-dug buildings with multiple entrances. They feed generally on parts of plants and, like other species, form large haystacks that can reach heights of 80 to 100 centimeters. The adult males and females also form their own haystacks within the individual territories and, with the exception of the matings, have hardly any contact with one another. O. p. Before the onset of winter, pricei collects stones with which he closes the entrances to his building.

The breeding season extends from April to August. The animals are polygynous , the males mate accordingly with several females. They also show aggressive territorial behavior towards neighboring males. During this time the females give birth to several litters with 1 to 12 young animals. The gestation period is 25 days and the young of the early litters of the year can also have young in their first year of life. The lifespan of the animals can be up to four years.

Communication between animals varies among the different subspecies. While O. p. pricei does not emit long whistles, which are typical for most whistles, these occur in the other subspecies.

Systematics

The Mongolian Pfeifhase was assigned as an independent species of the Pfeifhasengenus Ochotona and here the subgenus Pika . A total of four subspecies are distinguished, the nominate form O. p. pallasi , O. p. hamica , O. p. sunidica and O. p. pricei . In Russian literature it is common for this species to be listed as O. pricei , and based on differences in reproduction, habitat selection, and behavior, it would be possible that they are separate species.

On the basis of molecular data it was assumed that the silver pika ( Ochotona argentata ) should be regarded as a subspecies of Ochotona pallasi , but the genetic distance is classified as too great and the karyotype (2n = 38) of the two species is different. O. argentata is instead assigned to the alpina - hyperborea group, whose sister species is Ochotona pallasi . In 2016, the Mongolian Pfeifhase and its populations were identified as paraphyletic compared to Ochotona argentata , and the Kazakhstani Pfeifhase ( Ochotona opaca ) was established as an independent species on the basis of craniometric and molecular biological data from the mitochondrial DNA and placed in a related group with the Mongolian Pfeifhase and the Silver Pfeifhase.

Hazard and protection

The species is classified as not endangered (least concern) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) due to its large distribution area. Exact data on the population sizes are not available, for the subspecies O. p. pricei and O. p. hamica , however, a decline was recorded or assumed. Accordingly, it should be checked whether for the subspecies and especially for O. p. hamica and O. p. sunidica is at risk due to the isolation of the individual stands from one another.

Especially in southern Mongolia in the south of the Gobi , the species is controlled with pesticides as part of pest control . It is believed that, together with the Siberian marmot ( Marmota sibirica ), it is the carrier of a local form of the plague called "marmot plague".

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Pallas's pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 285. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
↑ ^a ^b 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; Pp. 41-43. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Ochotona pallasi in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2012.2. Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Ochotona pallasi in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
^ Andrey A. Lissovsky, Svetlana P. Yatsentyuk, Deyan Ge: Phylogeny and taxonomic reassessment of pikas Ochotona pallasii and O. argentata (Mammalia, Lagomorpha). Zoologica Scripta 45 (6), November 2016; Pp. 583-594. doi : 10.1111 / zsc.12180
^ AA Lissovsky: Kazakh Pika - Ochotona opaca. 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. 55. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .

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; Pp. 41-43. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
Pallas's pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 285. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .

Web links

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

Ochotona pallasi inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . 2. Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2012.

[Smith_&_Yan_Xie_2009-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Pallas's pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 285. 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; Pp. 41-43. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .

[IUCN-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Ochotona pallasi in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2012.2. Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2012.

[Wilson_&_Reeder_2005-4] Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Ochotona pallasi in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).

[Lissovsky_2016-5] Andrey A. Lissovsky, Svetlana P. Yatsentyuk, Deyan Ge: Phylogeny and taxonomic reassessment of pikas Ochotona pallasii and O. argentata (Mammalia, Lagomorpha). Zoologica Scripta 45 (6), November 2016; Pp. 583-594. doi : 10.1111 / zsc.12180

[HMW_2016_opaca-6] AA Lissovsky: Kazakh Pika - Ochotona opaca. 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. 55. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .