Gansu rock vole

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Gansu rock vole
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Voles (arvicolinae)
Tribe : Arvicolini
Genre : Neodon
Type : Gansu rock vole
Scientific name
Neodon irene
Thomas , 1911

The Gansu rock vole ( Neodon irene ) is a rodent species from the genus Neodon within the voles (Arvicolinae). It occurs in large parts of the central People's Republic of China .

features

The Gansu vole reaches a head-trunk length of 8.0 to 10.8 centimeters with a tail of 2.2 to 4.0 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is 15 to 19 millimeters, the ear length 11 to 13 millimeters. The back fur is gray to dark brown, the sides of the body are a little lighter ocher brown and merge into the dark gray peritoneum. It corresponds in appearance to the somewhat larger Mekong vole ( Neodon forresti ), but this has a longer and darker back fur. The tail is two-colored with a brown top and a whitish underside. The tops of the feet and hands are brownish white.

distribution

The Gansu vole is found in large parts of the central People's Republic of China . The distribution area includes parts of the east of Qinghai , the south of Gansu , the northeast of Xizang and the northwest of Yunnan .

Way of life

As with other species of the genus, very little information is available about the way of life of the Gansu vole. It lives mainly in mountain meadows and bushy mountain regions. There is no information about reproduction; a pregnant female was caught in August with three very well developed embryos.

Systematics

The Gansu rock 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 Oldfield Thomas , who described the species in 1911 using individuals from Garzê (then Dajianlu or Tatsienlu). Sometimes it was viewed as a synonym for the Sikkim rock vole ( Neodon sikimensis ) and the Mekong vole ( Neodon forresti ) was sometimes viewed as a subspecies of the Gansu rock vole.

Status, threat and protection

The Gansu rock 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, but no data are available on the stocks and populations . Potential endangerment risks for the species are not known.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Irene'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 , p. 237.
  2. ↑ a b c Neodon irene in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: AT Smith, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b Neodon irene . 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: Irene'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 , p. 237.

Web links