Taiwan vole
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Taiwan vole ( Microtus kikuchii ) |
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| Microtus kikuchii | ||||||||||||
| Kuroda , 1920 |
The Taiwan vole ( Microtus kikuchii ) is a rodent species from the genus of field mice ( Microtus ) within the voles (Arvicolinae). It is endemic to the island of Taiwan .
features
The Taiwan vole reaches a head-trunk length of 9.5 to 12.0 centimeters with a tail of 6.8 to 8.5 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is 20 to 25 millimeters, the ear length 12 to 15 millimeters. The back fur is strong reddish brown, the sides of the body are a little lighter and merge into the grayish orange peritoneum. The tail is comparatively long for that of a field mouse. it is colored dark brown on the top and white on the underside. The tops of the hands and feet are light brown to almost white. The genome consists of a diploid chromosome set of 2n = 30 (FN = 52) chromosomes.
The skull has a length of 27.8 to 30.5 millimeters. The tooth crown of the upper molar M3 consists of a prism followed by three opposing closed triangles and a rear edge that has a very deep fold on the tongue side with an additional recess. The first lower molar m1 consists of a prism and five opposing closed triangles and an anterior cap with depressions on both the tongue and lip side.
distribution
The Taiwan vole is endemic to the island of Taiwan .
Way of life
Very little information is available on the Taiwan vole's way of life. It lives in the mountain forests of the island and like other field mice it feeds herbivorous .
Systematics
The Taiwan vole is classified as an independent species within the field mice ( Microtus ), which consists of more than 60 species. The first scientific description comes from the Japanese zoologist Kuroda Nagamichi , who described the species in 1920 using individuals from the Yushan (then called Mount Morrison ) from a height of 3048 meters. Together with the Clarke vole ( Microtus clarkei ), the Taiwan vole was temporarily classified in the genus Volemys . Today it is assigned to the subgenus Alexandromys within the field mice and is considered to be closely related to the widespread swamp mouse ( Microtus oeconomus ), the Japanese vole ( Microtus montebelli ), the reed vole ( Microtus fortis ) and the Middendorff vole ( Microtus middendorffii ).
Status, threat and protection
The Taiwan vole is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as a type of warning list (near threatened) and thus as potentially endangered. This is justified with the very small distribution area of less than 5000 km² and the limitation to the high altitudes of Taiwan. Potential threats to the species are not yet known, there has been some deforestation in the mountains of Taiwan in the past. The species occurs in Yushan National Park and an occurrence in Taroko National Park is assumed.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Taiwan 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. 232.
- ↑ a b c Microtus (Alexandromys) kikuchii . 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 .
- ↑ a b c d e Microtus kikuchii in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: AT Smith, CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
literature
- Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Taiwan 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. 232.
Web links
- Microtus kikuchii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Listed by: AT Smith, CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2016.