Blyth's vole

Last updated

Blyth's vole
M leucurus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Arvicolinae
Tribe: Microtini
Genus: Neodon
Species:
N. leucurus
Binomial name
Neodon leucurus
(Blyth, 1863)
Synonyms

Phaiomys leucurus

Blyth's vole (Neodon leucurus) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It was previously the only species in the genus Phaiomys, but was moved to Neodon in 2016. [2] It is found in mountainous regions in northern India, Nepal and China. It is a burrowing rodent and lives in small colonies. It has a wide distribution and faces no particular threats so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Contents

Description

Blyth's vole has a head-and-body length of between 98 and 128 mm (3.86 and 5.04 in) and a tail length of 26 to 35 mm (1.02 to 1.38 in). The dorsal fur is light yellowish-brown, the underparts are yellowish-grey and there is a gradual transition where the two colours meet. The upper surface of both fore and hind feet is yellowish-white, and the tail is unicoloured, being yellowish-brown both above and below. The ears are small and rounded and the claws long, both being adaptations for living underground. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Blyth's vole is native to northern India, Nepal and the Tibetan Plateau in the provinces of Xinjiang, the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai in western China, at altitudes of over 4,500 m (14,800 ft). It inhabits forests and Alpine grassland on rocky mountains, burrowing especially in the banks of rivers and lakes, and sometimes tunnelling under boulders and making use of crevices between rocks. It also moves along passageways that it makes under lying snow. [1]

Behaviour

Blyth's vole is a diurnal vole that mostly lives underground, with up to twenty individuals living colonially in a deep burrow system. It feeds on vegetable matter and can have litters of as many as seven offspring. [3]

Status

Blyth's vole has a wide range and is assumed to have a large total population but has not been recorded from any particular protected areas. The population trend is unknown, but no particular threats have been identified other than loss of habitat, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the vole's conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arvicolinae</span> Subfamily of rodents

The Arvicolinae are a subfamily of rodents that includes the voles, lemmings, and muskrats. They are most closely related to the other subfamilies in the Cricetidae. Some authorities place the subfamily Arvicolinae in the family Muridae along with all other members of the superfamily Muroidea. Some refer to the subfamily as the Microtinae or rank the taxon as a full family, the Arvicolidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collared tuco-tuco</span> Species of rodent

The collared tuco-tuco is a tuco-tuco species from South America. It is found in southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina where it lives underground in a burrow it digs in savannah habitats. It is a relatively common species and the IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reed vole</span> Species of rodent

The reed vole is a species of vole. It is found in northern and central Eurasia, including northern China and the Korean Peninsula. This species is somewhat larger and longer-tailed than most other voles.

The Kam dwarf hamster is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in the mountains of western China where it inhabits grassland, shrubby marshes and steppes. Although it has a limited range, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey dwarf hamster</span> Species of rodent

The grey dwarf hamster, grey hamster or migratory hamster is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Its range extends from Eastern Europe through the Middle East, Russia and Central Asia to Mongolia and western China. The grey dwarf hamster has grey fur and a head-body length ranging from 85 to 120 mm. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaisan mole vole</span> Species of rodent

The Zaisan mole vole, or eastern mole vole, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in central Asia.

The Ganzu vole, Eva's red-backed vole, Eva's vole, Gansu vole, or Taozhou vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in mountain forests in China. The IUCN has assessed it as being of "least concern".

The Kolan vole, Inez's red-backed vole or Inez's vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in China. Two subspecies have been recognized, Caryomys inez inez from the northern part of its range and Caryomys inez nux from the southern part.

The Shansei vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in north-central China where its habitat is forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plateau vole</span> Species of rodent

The plateau vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It was originally listed as Lasiopodomys, but was moved to Neodon in 2012. It is found only in China. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow-headed vole</span> Species of rodent

The narrow-headed vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It was previously placed in the genus Microtus, but modern listings either lump this into genus Lasiopodomys or split it out into Stenocranius. It ranges over northern and central Asia.

The Chinese scrub vole, or Irene's mountain vole, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to mountainous parts of southern China and is very similar to the Sikkim mountain vole in appearance. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Maximowicz's vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northeastern China, Mongolia, and eastern Russia.

The Sikkim mountain vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Bhutan, India, Nepal and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brants's whistling rat</span> Species of rodent

Brants's whistling rat or Brants' whistling rat is one of two species of murid rodent in the genus Parotomys. It is found in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and pastureland. It was first described in 1834 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith who named it in honour of the Dutch zoologist and author Anton Brants.

The Duke of Bedford's vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. After the Liangshan vole was removed from this genus, the Duke of Bedford's vole became the only member of the genus Proedromys. It is found only in mountainous parts of central China. It is a rare species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "vulnerable".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan field rat</span> Species of rodent

The Himalayan field rat, sometimes known as the white-footed Indo-Chinese rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It has a wide range, being found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, with introduced populations in Indonesia (widely), Palau, and the Philippines. A common species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese zokor</span> Species of rodent

The Chinese zokor is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to China, ranging from Qinghai Province eastwards to Beijing in steppe and alpine grasslands. Henri Milne-Edwards first described it in 1867. Eradication programs in the 1990s in Qinghai Province resulted in a population decline to less than a third of the former population. It is considered common and has been assessed as Least Concern by IUCN.

Kozlov's pygmy jerboa is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in northwestern China and southern and eastern Mongolia. Its natural habitat is temperate desert.

Neodon is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Species within Neodon are classified as relics of the Pleistocene epoch because the occlusal patterns resemble the extinct Allophaiomys.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Molur, S. (2016). "Phaiomys leucurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T13439A22333524. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T13439A22333524.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Liu, Shaoying; Jin, Wei; Liu, Yang; Murphy, Robert W.; Lv, Bin; Hao, Haibang; Liao, Rui; Sun, Zhiyu; Tang, Mingkun; Chen, Weicai; Fu, Jianrong (2016-11-16). "Taxonomic position of Chinese voles of the tribe Arvicolini and the description of 2 new species from Xizang, China". Journal of Mammalogy: gyw170. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyw170. ISSN   0022-2372. PMC   5901085 .
  3. 1 2 Smith, Andrew T.; Xie, Yan; Hoffmann, Robert S.; Lunde, Darrin; MacKinnon, John; Wilson, Don E.; Wozencraft, W. Chris (2010). A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press. p. 238. ISBN   978-1-4008-3411-2.