Tianshan bank vole

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Tianshan bank vole
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Voles (arvicolinae)
Tribe : Arvicolini
Genre : Bank voles ( Myodes )
Type : Tianshan bank vole
Scientific name
Myodes centralis
( Miller , 1906)

The Tianshan Rötelmaus ( Myodes centralis ) is a rodent species of the genus Rötelmäuse ( Myodes ) within the voles (Arvicolinae). It occurs in Altai and Tianshan in Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan and the northwest of the People's Republic of China .

features

The Tianshan bank vole reaches a head-trunk length of 8.5 to 11.2 centimeters with a tail of 3.5 to 5.9 centimeters in length . The rear foot length is 17 to 19 millimeters, the ear length about 14 millimeters. The back fur is generally dark brown with individual reddish accents and varies from a lighter brown in the head area to a greyish brown in the torso. The sides of the body and the head are lighter gray-brown with a light yellowish tint, they merge into the gray-sand-colored belly. The tail is two-colored, the top is dark brown and the underside is white. The top of the hands and feet is brownish white. The Molar M3 has two pleats at the side of the tongue usually three and on the lip side.

The Tianshan bank vole differs from other species of the genus primarily in its lack of a conspicuous reddish coat color.

distribution

The Tianshan Rötelmaus comes in Altai and Tianshan in Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan and the northwest of the People's Republic of China before. In China it can only be found in the northwest of Xinjiang .

Way of life

The Tianshan bank vole lives mainly in mountain forest areas with coniferous vegetation and abundant grass vegetation, more rarely in lower-lying deciduous forests or above the tree line. In the upper forest area they live on all slopes with the exception of the unforested southern slopes, but can occur there in denser juniper stands. The animals live in colonies, they lay burrows and nests in the vegetation area in dense grass or in bushes as well as on mossy stones or in forest clearings. Winter nests can also lie directly below the snow cover, if it is thick enough. Like other field mice they feed on herbivores of plants, especially of cereals and grasses and green parts of plants, berries and pine seeds. In autumn the proportion of rowan berries ( Sorbus aucuparia ), honeysuckles ( Lonicera ) and juniper bark in the diet increases, in winter the animals feed mainly on rose hips and rowan berries. In autumn and winter, they are also found near human settlements and in buildings, where they often eat fruits such as apples or apricots.

The breeding season varies according to height and habitat. In lower altitudes it lasts from the beginning of March to the beginning of October, in higher altitudes from April to the end of August. The litters consist of two to nine young animals.

Systematics

The Tianshan bank vole is classified as an independent species within the bank vole ( Myodes ), which consists of 13 species. The first scientific description comes from the American zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller , who described the species in 1773 using individuals from the Koksu Valley in Tianshan in Kazakhstan. In some cases, the species was assigned to the genus Clethrionomys as Clethrionomys centralis , which was, however, disbanded and absorbed into bank voles . According to some systematics, it is assigned to the bank vole ( Myodes glareolus ), but is currently considered to be independent.

Status, threat and protection

The Tianshan bank vole is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (least concern). This is justified with the large distribution area and the large populations of the species. Potential endangerment risks for the species are not known.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c Darrin Lunde, Andrew T. Smith: Tian Shan Red-Backed 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. 234.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Myodes centralis in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2016.2. Posted by: K. Tsytsulina, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b Myodes centralis . 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: Tian Shan Red-Backed 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. 234.

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