Hewitt's red rock hare

Hewitt's red rock hare
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Lagomorpha
Family:	Leporidae
Genus:	Pronolagus
Species:	P. saundersiae
Binomial name
	Pronolagus saundersiae; Hewitt, 1927
	Hewitt Red Rock Hare range
Synonyms
	Pronolagus barrettiRoberts, 1949; Pronolagus bowkeriHewitt, 1927; Pronolagus australisRoberts, 1933;

Last updated November 16, 2024

The Hewitt's red rock hare (Pronolagus saundersiae) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It had previously been classified as a subspecies of Pronolagus rupestris , but is now regarded as its own species due to differences in morphology and genetic differences in cytochrome b, and 12S rRNA.^[8]

Description

P. saundersiae is a densely-furred, medium-sized (1.35–2.05 kilograms (3.0–4.5 lb)) red rock hare that is largely brown with light rufous underparts and a sandy- to red-colored tail. Its sides are slightly lighter than its back in coloration, and its head is grayish-brown.^[9]

Taxonomic history

This species was named by John Hewitt (1880–1961), who was the director of the Albany Museum, South Africa.^[10] Hewitt originally described this taxon as a subspecies of Pronolagus crassicaudatus in his 1927 description.^[4] Its type locality was Grahamstown.^[11]^[12]

He described this taxon based and skulls from Albany district, collected by Enid Saunders and Frank Bowker; the species is named after Saunders.^[13]

It was later classified as a subspecies of Pronolagus rupestris by various zoologists,^[14] including Ellerman, Morrison-Scott and Hayman,^[11] as well as Hoffman and Smith for the third edition of Mammal Species of the World .^[3]

Works which list it as its own species include: the IUCN Red List,^[1] Mammals of Africa ,^[4] and Jonathan Kingdon's field guide.^[15]

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References

1 2 Robinson, T.J.; Child, M.F.; Matthee, C.M. (2019). "Pronolagus saundersiae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T136713A45194657. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T136713A45194657.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
↑ Hewitt 1927, pp. 434–437, Pl. 26, fig. 2.
1 2 Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
1 2 3 Happold, D. C. D. (2013). "Pronolagus saundersiae Hewitt's Red Rock-hare". In Happold, David C. D. (ed.). Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Mammals of Africa. Vol. 3. London: Bloomsbury. p. 717. ISBN 978-1-4081-8992-4.
↑ Roberts, Austen (1949). "A New Pronolagus from Natal". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 21 (1): 179–180. hdl: 10520/AJA00411752_472 .
↑ Hewitt 1927, pp. 437–439, Pl. 26, fig. 1, Pl. 27, fig. 7.
↑ Roberts, Austin (1933). "Eleven new forms of South African mammals". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 15 (2): 270. hdl: 10520/AJA00411752_604 .
↑ Robinson, T. J.; Matthee, C. A. (2005). "Phylogeny and evolutionary origins of the Leporidae: a review of cytogenetics, molecular analyses and a supermatrix analysis". Mammal Review. 35 (3–4): 241. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2005.00073.x.
↑ Smith, Andrew T.; Johnston, Charlotte H.; Alves, Paulo C.; Hackländer, Klaus, eds. (2018). "Pronolagus saundersiae (Hewitt, 1927) Hewitt's Red Rock Hare". Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-2341-8. LCCN 2017004268.
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael, eds. (2009). "Hewitt" . The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780801895333.
1 2 Ellerman, J. R.; Morrison-Scott, T. C. S.; Hayman, R. W. (1953). "Lagomorpha — Leporidae". Southern African Mammals 1758 to 1951: A Reclassification. London: Tonbridge. p. 221.
↑ Meester, J. A. J.; Rautenbach, I. L.; Dippenaar, N. J.; Baker, C. M. (1986). "Order Lagomorpha". Classification of Southern African Mammals. Transvaal Museum Monographs. Vol. 5. Transvaal Museum. pp. 298–307. hdl: 10520/AJA090799001_112 . ISBN 0907990061.
↑ Hewitt 1927, pp. 434–435.
↑ Duthie, A. G.; Robinson, T. J. (1990). "The African Rabbits". In Chapman, Joseph A.; Flux, John E. C. (eds.). Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. pp. 121–127. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1.
↑ Kingdon, Jonathan (2015). "Hewitt's Red Rock-Hare". The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals (2nd ed.). London: Bloomsbury. p. 305. ISBN 978-1-4729-1236-7.

Works cited

Hewitt, John (1927). "On several new Rodents in the Albany Museum". Records of the Albany Museum. 3 (5): 430–440; Plates 26, 27.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)