Lepus coreanus, Thomas, 1892

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Leporidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 107-148 : 147-148

62.

Korean Hare

Lepus coreanus

French: Liévre de Corée / German: Korea-Hase / Spanish: Liebre de Corea

Taxonomy. Lepus coreanus Thomas, 1892 ,

“Soul [= Seoul],” Korea .

Formerly, L. coreanus was considered a subspecies of L. sinensis , L. mandshuricus , or L. brachyurus . A phylogenetic study based exclusively on mtDNA considered L. coreanus to be L. timidus , but two other studies based on nDNA and mtDNA showed that L. coreanus is a valid species. Therefore, taxonomic status of L. coreanus still has to be clarified. Species of Lepus from Jilin Province, China, might belong to L. tolai . Monotypic.

Distribution. Korean Peninsula and NE China (8 Jilin); perhaps SE Heilungjiang and E Liaoning (NE China).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 430-490 mm, tail 60-75 mm, ear 70-80 mm, hindfoot 108-122 mm; weight c.1-7 kg. The Korean Hare is medium-sized, with dense and heavy fur. Dorsal fur and head are grayish yellow, with brown hair tips. Tail is light brown above and at its tip, butit is white below.

Habitat. Lowland and mountainous habitats. A study conducted in South Korea indicated that abundance of Korean Hares was positively associated with percent shrub cover. Some damage to agriculture and cultivated forests has been recorded.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Korean Hare is widespread and common in Korea. There are no published records of population decline, and no threats are known. Despite lack of known risks, research regarding population status, biology, and ecology of the Korean Hare should be conducted because no data are available.

Bibliography. Cheng Cheng etal. (2012), Corbet (1978), Flux & Angermann (1990), Hoffmann & Smith (2005), Jones & Johnson (1965), Koh Hung-Sun & Jang Kyung-Hee (2010), Koh Hung-Sun etal. (2001), Rhim Shin-Jae & Lee Woo-Shin (2007), Smith (2008c), Smith & Johnston (2008n), Wu Chunhua et al. (2005).

Figures

On following pages: 51. Tehuantepec Jackrabbit (Lepus flavigularis); 52. Iberian Hare (Lepus granatensis); 53. European Hare (Lepus europaeus); 54. Broom Hare (Lepus castroviejoi); 55. Corsican Hare (Lepus corsicanus); 56. White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii); 57. Arctic Hare (Lepus arcticus); 58. Alaskan Hare (Lepus othus); 59. Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus); 60. Japanese Hare (Lepus brachyurus); 61. Manchurian Hare (Lepus mandshuricus); 62. Korean Hare Lepus coreanus); 63. Chinese Hare (Lepus sinensis).

Distribution. Korean Peninsula and NE China (8 Jilin); perhaps SE Heilungjiang and E Liaoning (NE China).