Zaisan Mull Lemming

Zaisan Mull Lemming
	Zaisan Mull Lemming ( Ellobius tancrei )
Systematics
Superfamily :	Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family :	Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily :	Voles (arvicolinae)
Tribe :	Ellobiusini
Genre :	Mulled Lemmings ( Ellobius )
Type :	Zaisan Mull Lemming
Scientific name
	Ellobius tancrei
	Blasius , 1884

The Zaisan Mull Lemming ( Ellobius tancrei ) is a rodent in the family of burrowers (Cricetidae) that is found in Central Asia . It is listed as Least Concern .

features

The species reaches a head-body length of 95 to 130 mm, a tail length of 8 to 20 mm and a weight of 30 to 88 g. The soft, velvety fur varies in color between brown and gray tones, some specimens are almost white on the belly. Characteristic are dark brown spots between the eyes and the ear openings. As with other species of the genus, there is only a 4 mm high bulge instead of the auricle . At the tip of the tail is a small tassel made of gray-white hair. The claws on the feet are rather small for a burrowing mammal. The Zaisan Mull Lemming digs primarily with its large incisors .

distribution and habitat

This mulled lemming occurs from Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan via Mongolia and the Russian Republic of Tuva to the northern People's Republic of China ( Xinjiang , Inner Mongolia , Gansu , Shaanxi ). It inhabits deserts, semi-deserts, steppes and other grassy areas. There he prefers moist valleys and beach areas by lakes and watercourses.

Way of life

The Zaisan-Mull-Lemming digs complex tunnel systems with corridors that are 10 to 40 cm deep and 5 to 6 cm in diameter. The living and storage chambers are about 50 to 70 cm below the surface of the earth. The species can be diurnal and nocturnal, but it rarely comes to the surface in daylight. The food mainly consists of subterranean plant parts such as roots and tubers. The warning call is reminiscent of the twittering of birds.

Reproduction takes place in the warm season between April and September. Females have up to seven litters per season. After a gestation of about 26 days, 3 to 4 young are born, with a very good food supply up to 7. In general there are 34 to 36 days between two litters. The mother nurses her young for about two months and about a month later they are sexually mature.

Taxonomy

The population was counted by many authors to the Northern Mull-Lemming ( Ellobius talpinus ) until the 1980s . The species differ in various morphological details and in the structure of the chromosomes .

Chromosomes

The karyotype is variable, with 2n = 32-54. The Y chromosome has been lost, similar to E. lutescens , but unlike E. lutescens, both males and females have X chromosomes .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ellobius tancrei in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Posted by: Batsaikhan, N. & Tinnin, D., 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
↑ Smith et al. (2008) Eastern Mole Vole , A Guide to the Mammals of China . Princeton University Press. Pp. 220-221. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2
↑ Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Ellobius tancrei ).
↑ Musser, GG; Carleton, MD: "Superfamily Muroidea" . In Wilson, DE; Reeder, DM Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, 3rd Edition 2005, pp. 976. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0 . OCLC 62265494
↑ Bagheri-Fam, S et al .: Sox9 gene regulation and the loss of the XY / XX sex-determining mechanism in the mole vole Ellobius lutescens . . In: Chromosome Research . 20, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 191-9. doi : 10.1007 / s10577-011-9269-5 . PMID 22215485 .

[IUCN-1] Ellobius tancrei in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Posted by: Batsaikhan, N. & Tinnin, D., 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2015.

[Smith-2] Smith et al. (2008) Eastern Mole Vole , A Guide to the Mammals of China . Princeton University Press. Pp. 220-221. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2

[Wilson-3] Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Ellobius tancrei ).

[MSW3-4] Musser, GG; Carleton, MD: "Superfamily Muroidea" . In Wilson, DE; Reeder, DM Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, 3rd Edition 2005, pp. 976. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0 . OCLC 62265494

[Bagheri-Fam2012-5] Bagheri-Fam, S et al .: Sox9 gene regulation and the loss of the XY / XX sex-determining mechanism in the mole vole Ellobius lutescens . . In: Chromosome Research . 20, No. 1, January 2012, pp. 191-9. doi : 10.1007 / s10577-011-9269-5 . PMID 22215485 .