Royle Whistler
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Royle pika ( Ochotona roylii ) |
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| Ochotona roylii | ||||||||||||
| ( Ogilby , 1839) |
The Royle-Pfeifhase ( Ochotona roylii ; synonym : Ochotona roylei ) is a mammal species within the Pfeifhasen , which belong to the hare-like (Lagomorpha). Their distribution area is in the Himalayas and ranges from Pakistan via northern India and Nepal to the People's Republic of China .
With a body size of up to about 22 centimeters and a weight of up to 200 grams, it belongs to the medium-sized species of the pika. The animals use valley regions of the mountains with stony, humus-rich soils and rhododendrons , Himalayan cedars or pine forests at altitudes of 2100 to 4500 meters as their habitat . Sometimes they live in a close relationship with the scaled animal species ( Pnoepyga albiventer ), a songbird.
The first scientific description comes from William Ogilby from 1839, who named the species after the botanist John Forbes Royle . In 1841 Brian Houghton Hodgson described the O. r, which is now classified as a subspecies . nepalensis as an independent species. Due to the difficult taxonomic classification of the pigeon hares due to the great similarities , the delimitation of the species changed several times. In the past, closely related species were sometimes considered to be subspecies of the Royle pika. The species is not considered endangered because of its comparatively large distribution area and the absence of any risks that could endanger the population.
features
general characteristics
The Royle Pfeifhase is a medium-sized Pfeifhase with a body length of 15 to 22 centimeters with a weight of 130 to 200 grams or according to other sources up to 20.4 centimeters with a weight of 130 to 180 grams. The ear length is 20 to 30 millimeters, the hind foot length 23 to 36 millimeters and a tail is not present, as with other whistle hares. He has a dark reddish to reddish brown or chestnut brown fur with occasional black hair tips, sometimes a dark to iron gray or dark grayish brown fur with brown to reddish brown spots on the shoulders. The front of the chest in particular can be more reddish and lighter than the rest of the body. The fur consists of thin, smooth and shimmering hair. Some individuals have a lighter spot behind the ears. The winter coat is a little longer and grayish brown to brown with isolated white hair tips. The ears are comparatively large and have an indistinct whitish border. The belly side is white to off-white or darker gray and the top of the feet is white, off-white or white with a sand-colored impact.
Compared to the big-eared pika ( Ochotona macrotis ), the ears are slightly narrower and have only short hair on the inside. In addition, the large-eared hare lacks the white rim of the ears and the reddish coloration, while the Royle pigeon hare has a less strong contrast of the color of the cheeks and forehead.
The genome consists of 2n = 62 chromosomes , which corresponds to that of the big-eared pika. The chromosome set consists of three pairs of large metacentric , one pair of large submetacentric and numerous pairs of small sub-telocentric and acrocentric chromosomes. Its composition corresponds to that of some other pigeon hares, such as the red pigeon hare ( Ochotona rutila ) and the big-eared pika.
Features of the skull
The skull is medium-sized with a total length (condylobasal length) of 37 to 43 millimeters and a maximum width of 20 to 23 millimeters, the height of the skull is 15 to 16 millimeters. In shape and size, it corresponds to the skull of the big-eared pika, but is slightly less curved. The incisor and palate windows of the skull merge into one wide single window in this species. There are often two openings on the frontal bone , which, however , may be missing in many individuals, especially in the eastern populations . The tympanic cavities are medium-sized, their length is about 23% of the length of the skull. The bony palate is usually no longer than 17 millimeters and the snout is slightly shorter than in related species.
| 2 | · | 0 | · | 3 | · | 2 | = 26 |
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Like all piphares, they each have two incisors in their upper jaw , followed by a longer gap between their teeth ( diastema ) as well as three premolar teeth and two back teeth (molars). In the branch of the lower jaw there is only one incisor and only two premolars, but three molars. The animals have a total of 26 teeth.
distribution
The Royle pika is widespread in the Himalayas , the range extends from northern Pakistan via northern India in the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as well as Nepal to Tibet . Due to the different taxonomic allocation of species and subspecies, the information about the distribution area in the literature can be different.
The height distribution of the animals ranges from 2100 to 4500 meters, when common with the big-eared pika the latter prefers higher altitudes.
Way of life
The Royle Pfeifhase lives in the valley regions and high altitudes of the mountains; the open habitat is characterized by stony and humus-rich soils with rhododendrons , Himalayan cedars or pine forests. Despite being tied to stony habitats , it does not build its burrows in stone piles like the big-eared pika, but in the ground; he does not dig, but uses naturally occurring hollows and crevices that he clears of earth. He also uses man-made stone walls and crevices in buildings as well as sediments with parts of colluvial rock .
It is diurnal and largely crepuscular in the evening and morning, while avoiding the midday heat of the sun and preferring periods of higher humidity . The animals move openly on the ground between rubble and stones, where they seek cover. A continuous run with jumps in between is characteristic. In addition, they often sit in the sun on exposed stones. In winter and early spring, they dig tunnels in the snow that can be used by multiple individuals to reach their hiding spots. They live territorially and largely as solitary animals or in family groups made up of a pair of parents and their young. The population density is about 12.5 animals per hectare or about 1620 individuals per square kilometer in the western Himalayas and 1250 individuals per square kilometer in the eastern Himalayas. The territories of males and females are overlapping, they have an average size of about 82 square meters. The territorial behavior is less pronounced than with other pigeons; However, especially towards the end of summer, adult animals were regularly observed driving young animals out of their territory. Vocal communication is rare and poorly developed in the nominate form , in the subspecies O. r. nepalensis is much more common and consists mainly of soft calls and high, simple whistles.
nutrition
He spends most of his activity phases looking for and eating. It feeds in a generalist way on parts of plants, although it creates haystacks that are typical of the genus less frequently than other species. After a study of animals in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary in northern India, 17 different plant species were identified as potential food crops and examined which factors influence the choice of food. The study comes to the conclusion that the choice is positively influenced by the leaf size of the plant and negatively by the amount of different ingredients such as lignin , tannins or acidic components, which the animals tend to avoid. However, since plants with larger leaves usually contain more avoided substances than those with smaller leaves, these are only selected if they have a low content of avoided substances.
The Royle pika, like other pika or rabbits, produces two different types of fecal pills . The larger and softer fecal pills, caecotrophs , are still rich in nutrients and are ingested one more time. The round, small and harder excrement pills represent the final excrement.
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Reproduction
The breeding season of the animals begins in late April, depending on the snow cover and the temperature. It is assumed that the animals are facultatively monogamous . The females have a gestation period of around 28 to 30 days and give birth from spring to late summer from one to rarely two litters with an average of two to three young per litter. Compared to other species, the reproduction rate is relatively low. The young are born almost naked with a thin fur and closed eyes; they open them after about 8 to 10 days. They are suckled by the mother for 20 to 22 days.
The animals reach sexual maturity after seven to nine months and leave their parents' den at the end of the first summer. The next year after their birth they are ready to mate and produce their own offspring. They can reach an age of up to three years.
Relationship with other animal species
The Royle-Pfeifhase lives in Nepal in a close relationship ( symbiosis ) with the scallop ( Pnoepyge albiventer ). Both species jointly use the haystack of the pipebird as a food reserve and live close together. Both species use different sources of food in the vicinity of the pile: the bird feeds on insects and seeds from the surrounding vegetation, the pika on green plants.
As with other pika, there are several potential predators in the royle pigeon. The most important predators are the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), the great spotted marten ( Martes flavigula ) and also the Indian leopard ( Panthera pardus fusca ). Among the endoparasites several types of were tapeworms as Anoplocephalinae , Schizorchis cf. altaica and Ectopocephalium abei documented in Royle-pikas. In addition, fleas such as Ctenophyllus orientalis and unspecified Chaetopsylla species as well as ticks such as Haemaphysalis danieli , Ixodes hyatti and Ixodes shahi have been described in the animals.
Systematics
The Royle-Pfeifhase was assigned as a separate species to the Pfeifhasen (genus Ochotona ) and the subgenus Conothoa . The first scientific description comes from William Ogilby from 1839, who called it Lagomys roylii and named after the botanist John Forbes Royle . Ogilby gave the “Choor Mountain” about 100 kilometers north of Saharanpur in Punjab , India, as the Terra typica . Ogilby described the species as part of the processing of a collection of animals that Royle had collected on a botanical expedition to the Himalayas and given to him for description in 1933. The first description appeared as part of the processing of the botanical collection, in which, in addition to the plants and some mammals, various fossils, insects and other animals were described. Ogilby described the pika in the context of an overall representation of the known mammal species of the Himalayas and highlighted this species as a special feature:
"But by far the most interesting and unexpected acquisition, which Dr. Royle's discoveries among the Himalayas has produced to the Zoologist, is a new and beautiful species of Lagomys, a genus heretofore only found in Northern Asia and among the rocky mountains in North America. This discovery, of the greatest importance to our inquiries into the principles which regulate the geographical distribution of animals, is entirely due to Dr. Royle, and furnishes another, and a most glaring instance of the paramount influence of climate upon the dispersion of animals, as well as of vegetables. [...] I propose, under the specific denomination of Lagomys Roylii, to dedicate it to my friend Dr. Royle, in commemoration of the important service which that distinguished Botanist has rendered by its discovery to the kindred science of Zoology. "
“But by far the most interesting and unexpected acquisition that Dr. Royle's discoveries in the Himalayas produced for the zoologist is a new and beautiful species of Lagomys, a genus previously only found in North Asia and the Rocky Mountains of North America. This discovery, of the utmost importance in our study of the principles governing the geographic distribution of animals, is entirely Dr. Thanks to Royle, it provides another and glaring example of the overwhelming influence of climate on the distribution of animals and plants. […] I propose to give it to my friend Drs under the specific name Lagomys Roylii. To Royle to commemorate the important service this great botanist rendered to the related science of zoology through his discovery. "
In 1841 Brian Houghton Hodgson in Kathmandu described the O. r, which is now considered a subspecies . nepalensis as Lagomys nepalensis . He received a male and a female of the animals from Shishapangma in today's Tibet, which he described and already indicated that they could be closely related or possibly identical to the Lagomys roylii described two years earlier .
In the scientific literature the species is referred to as O. roylii and O. roylei . According to the Handbook of the Mammals of the World , the valid name is O. roylii .
External system
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Phylogenetic systematics of some Pfeifehasen according to Yu et al. 2000
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Phylogenetic systematics of some pigeons according to Niu et al. 2004
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As with most pigeons, the systematic classification of the Royle pigeon is difficult due to the great similarities of the species and accordingly changed several times over time. At times the big-eared piphare ( Ochotona macrotis ) was added to the Royle piphare as a subspecies; However, due to morphological and ecological differences in the regions where both species occur sympatricly , the species status of the big-eared pika was confirmed. The Himalayan Pika ( Ochotona himalayana ) and the Forrest Piper ( Ochotona forresti ) as well as the Nubra Piper ( Ochotona nubrica ) (as a synonym O. hodgsoni ) were sometimes treated as subspecies of the Royle Piper, but are now often considered separate Species considered.
In 2000, on the basis of sequences of the mitochondrial DNA, the Royle pika was identified as a sister species of the big-eared pika, and according to these results, the two together formed the sister group of the Ladakh pika ( Ochotona ladacensis ) and the Koslow piper ( O. koslowi ). Together with the Forrest-Pfeifhasen ( Ochotona forresti ) and the Red-eared-Pfeifhasen ( Ochotona erythrotis ) these kinds were summarized as "Mountain group", while the classical division according to sub-genera was rejected as paraphyletic . In 2004 a phylogenetic analysis on the basis of the sequence of cytochrome b was published , in which the sister group ratio of the big-eared and Royle piper was confirmed, but the Ladakh piper is the basal sister species of a taxon from O. koslowi , O. rutila , O. iliensis , O. roylii and O. macrotis ; the entire group plus a few other species was classified in a "Surrounding Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Group". After Andrei Alexandrowitsch Lissowski revised the taxonomy in 2013 on the basis of craniometric features and the sequence of cytochrome b, some details of the phylogenetic classification were changed, but the close relationship between the species was confirmed. Lissowski put these species together in the subgenus Conothoa .
However, he does not consider the Himalayan pika as a separate species and describes it as a synonym for the Royle pika, which was also adopted by Smith and Bhattacharyya in 2018. Other synonyms are O. baltina , O. hodgsonii , O. nepalensis and O. wardi .
Internal system
Depending on the literature, different information on the number and delimitation of subspecies is given. According to the Handbook of the Mammals of the World , which is currently used as a reference, a distinction is made between two subspecies:
- the nominate form O. r. roylii ( Ogilby, 1839 ) in the west of the Himalayas from the east of the Kali Gandaki across northern India and the north-west of Nepal.
- O. r. nepalensis ( Hodgson , 1841 ) in the eastern Himalayas from Kali Gandaki via northern India in Sikkim and the northeast of Nepal.
Smith and Bhattacharyya 2018, on the other hand, distinguish four subspecies, including, in addition to the two mentioned, the Himalayan pika, which is independent according to other sources as O. r. himalayana and O. r. wardi .
Hazard and protection
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the Royle Pfeifhasen as harmless (least concern). In China, the Royle pika is also listed as not endangered on the Red List, in India the animals fall under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
The largest part of the distribution area is in nature reserves, so that hunting is usually prohibited. Although no recent population assessments of the species are available, it is considered widespread and populations are estimated to be stable. In some lower-lying areas, populations may be declining and there are conflicts with grazing animals and the use of stones for house and road construction, but no serious causes are known. As with other species in the high mountains, however, the animals react sensitively to climate fluctuations, so that with increasing global warming a negative effect on the populations is conceivable.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q AA Lissovsky: Royle's Pika - Ochotona roylii. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; Pp. 57-58. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Royle’s pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; Pp. 285-286. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Andrew T. Smith, Sabuj Bhattacharyya: Royle's pika. In: Andrew T. Smith, Charlotte H. Johnston, Paulo C. Alves, Klaus Hackländer (eds.): Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World. JHU Press, 2018; Pp. 75-77. ( Google Books )
- ↑ 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. 47-48. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
- ↑ Ernesto Capanna, Marta Bonomo, Maria Vittoria, Civitelli Alberto Simonetta, E. Capanna: The chromosomes of Royle's pika, Ochotona roylei, (Mammalia, Lagomorpha). Rendiconti Lincei 1991 2 (1); Pp. 59-67. doi: 10.1007 / BF03010413 .
- ↑ Family Ochotonidae, Genus Ochotona. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 275. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Ochotona roylei in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2019 Posted by: Andrew T. Smith , S. Bhattacharyya, 2016. Retrieved on April 12 of 2019.
- ↑ Ochotona macrotis in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012.2. Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
- ↑ a b c d Sabuj Bhattacharyya, Bhupendra S. Adhikari, Gopal S. Rawat: Forage selection by Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei) in the western Himalaya, India. Zoology 116 (5), October 2013; Pp. 300-306. doi: 10.1016 / j.zool.2013.05.003 .
- ↑ Bhaiya Khanal: New Report on the Symbiotic Relation of Ochotona roylei (Lagomorpha: Ochotonidae) and Scaly Breasted Wren Babbler (Pnoepyge albiventer) at Ganesh Himalaya Area of Central Nepal. Our Nature 5, 2007; Pp. 37-40.
- ↑ Scaly-breasted Cupwing (Pnoepyga albiventer) on Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive, accessed April 22, 2019.
- ↑ a b c d Brian Houghton Hodgson : 1841 Of a new species of Lagomys inhabiting Nepal - Lagomys nepalensis, Nob. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1841; Pp. 854-855. ( Digitized version ).
- ↑ a b c d e Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Ochotona roylei ( Memento from December 26, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ↑ Bo Beolens, Michael Grayson, Michael Watkins: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009; Pp. 351-352; ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 .
- ^ A b William Ogilby : Memoir on the Mammalogy of the Himalayas. In: John Forbes Royle : Illustrations of the botany and other branches of the natural history of the Himalayan Mountains, and of the flora of Cashmere. Wm. H. Allen and Co., London 1839; Pp. 118-120. ( Digitized version ).
- ↑ a b Ning Yu, Changlin Zheng, Ya-Ping Zhang, Wen-Hsiung Li: Molecular Systematics of Pikas (Genus Ochotona) Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 16 (1) July 2000; Pp. 85-95. doi: 10.1006 / mpev.2000.0776 .
- ↑ 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 ).
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Ochotona macrotis in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ^ 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
- AA Lissovsky: Royle's Pika - Ochotona roylii. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; Pp. 57-58. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- 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. 47-48. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 .
- Royle's pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; Pp. 285-286. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
Web links
- Ochotona roylei in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2019 Posted by: Andrew T. Smith , S. Bhattacharyya, 2016. Retrieved on April 12 of 2019.
