Sichuan white-bellied rat

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Sichuan white-bellied rat
Systematics
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Rattini
Dacnomys group
Genre : White-bellied rats ( Niviventer )
Type : Sichuan white-bellied rat
Scientific name
Niviventer excelsior
( Thomas , 1911)

The Sichuan white-bellied rat ( Niviventer excelsior ) is a rodent species from the genus of white-bellied rats ( Niviventer ) within the old world mice (Murinae). It occurs in the southwestern People's Republic of China .

features

The Sichuan white-bellied rat reaches a head-torso length of 12.7 to 17.5 centimeters with a tail of 19.0 to 21.3 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is about 31 to 33 millimeters, the ear length 22 to 27 millimeters. The skull has a total length of 38.1 to 41.3 millimeters. It is accordingly a large species of the genus, but is slightly smaller than the Anderson white-bellied rat ( Niviventer andersoni ).

The back fur is dull grayish brown in color. The sides of the body are a little lighter orange, the abdomen is sharply delineated and pure white from the sides of the body. On the face there is a light, dark brown facial markings from the vibrissae to the eye ring. The tail is slightly longer than the length of the head and trunk, it is clearly two-colored with a dark brown upper side and pale brown-white underside. The rear half or the last quarter of the tail is white and has a small tassel. The tops of the hands and feet are brown, the toes and fingers are brownish-white. The females have three pairs of teats , one in the armpit, one in the chest and one in the lumbar area.

distribution

The Sichuan white-bellied rat is found in the southwestern People's Republic of China in southwestern Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan . There is a single record from the Ailao Shan from central Yunnan .

Way of life

Very little information is available about the way of life of the Sichuan white-bellied rat. It lives mainly in forest areas in higher mountain areas in the range of 2300 to 3000 meters. In its distribution area it occurs sympatric with the Anderson white-bellied rat ( Niviventer andersoni ) and the Chinese white-bellied rat ( Niviventer confucianus ).

Systematics

The Sichuan white-bellied rat is classified as a separate species within the white-bellied rats ( Niviventer ), which consists of 17 species. The first scientific description comes from the British zoologist Oldfield Thomas , who described the species in 1911 using individuals from Garzê (formerly Tatsienlu) in Sichuan from an altitude of 2744 meters. Morphologically it is mainly related to the Anderson white-bellied rat ( Niviventer andersoni ).

Status, threat and protection

The Sichuan white-bellied rat is classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified with the large distribution area and the assumed frequent occurrence of the species. Potential threats are not known for the species, information on the stocks is not available.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Sichuan Niviventer. 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. 268.
  2. ↑ a b c Niviventer excelsior . 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 Niviventer excelsior in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2016.2. Listed by: AT Smith, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2016.

literature

  • Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Sichuan Niviventer. 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. 268.

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