Sichuan vole

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Sichuan vole
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Voles (arvicolinae)
Tribe : Arvicolini
Genre : Volemys
Type : Sichuan vole
Scientific name
Volemys millicens
( Thomas , 1911)

The Sichuan vole ( Volemys millicens ) is a rodent species from the genus Volemys within the voles (Arvicolinae). It is known only from a few individuals from Sichuan in the People's Republic of China .

features

The Sichuan vole reaches a head-trunk length of 8.3 to 9.5 centimeters with a tail of 4.6 to 5.3 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is about 18 millimeters, the ear length 14 millimeters. The skull has a total length of 23.7 to 24.7 millimeters.

The back fur is dark brown, the peritoneum grayish. The tail is two-colored with a gray-brown top and white underside. The tops of the hands and feet are white. In its appearance, it corresponds to the Marie vole ( Volemys musseri ), but is significantly smaller and differs from it in the absence of postero-lingual triangles in the enamel of the first upper molar M1 and only has them on the M2.

distribution

The Sichuan vole is scientifically known only from a few individuals from the mountains in northwest Sichuan in the People's Republic of China . Other finds from the southeast of Xizang could also be assigned to this species, while finds in Yunnan probably belong to the Clarke vole ( Microtus clarkei ).

Way of life

No information is available about the way of life of the Sichuan vole. The known habitats are in forest areas above 4000 meters. In 2010 it was also found in the area of ​​fields, where it is likely to compete with rats for space and food. Like other voles, it lives in underground burrows and probably feeds mainly herbivorous on various parts of the plant.

Systematics

The Sichuan vole is classified as a separate species within the genus Volemys , which consists of two species. The first scientific description comes from the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas , who described the species in 1911 using individuals on the Si-ho in northwestern Sichuan. The genus and thus also this species is partly assigned to the field mice ( Microtus ).

Status, threat and protection

The Sichuan vole is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as a type of warning list and thus as potentially endangered (near threatened). This is justified by the fact that all known animals are only known from a very small area of ​​less than 50 km² and that strong restructuring is taking place in this region for the expansion of tourism . There is no information about the population of the species. In the past, logging in the affected region was a threat to the forest species; today, there is a risk from illegal logging and habitat conversion for winter tourism as a ski park.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Sichuan 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. 239.
  2. ↑ a b c Volemys millicens . 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 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Volemys millicens in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: E. Clayton, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2016.

literature

  • Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Sichuan 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. 239.

Web links