Lepus mandshuricus, Radde, 1861

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

61.

Manchurian Hare

Lepus mandshuricus

French: Lievre de Mandchourie / German: Mandschurei-Hase / Spanish: Liebre de Manchuria

Taxonomy. Lepus mandshuricus Radde, 1861 ,

“Bureja-Gebirge [= Bureya Mountains],” Khabarovsk Krai, Russia.

It has been placed in the genus Lepus , then Caprolagus , later Allolagus, and back again to Lepus . It was formerly recognized as a subspecies of L. brachyurus but received species status. A recent genetic analysis suggests that L. mandshuricus has a close phylogenetic relationship with L. yarkandensis but not with L. brachyurus .

Melanistic individuals throughout the entire distribution of L. mandshuricus were given the specific designation of L. melanius, but morphological examination and nDNA analysis revealed that L. melainus is a melanistic morph of L. mandshuricus . This species and L. coreanus are parapatric in their distribution in north-eastern Korea and southeastern Heilongjiang but are said to occupy different habitat types. Moreover, L. mandshuricus is sympatric with L. timidus in forests and L. tolai in plains. Lepus tolai tends to replace L. mandshuricus in cleared forest habitats. Monotypic.

Distribution. Russian Far East (Amur, Khabarovsk, Primoryie), NE China (NE Inner Mongolia = Nei Mongol, Heilongjiang,Jilin, Liaoning), and perhaps extreme NE Korea.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 410-540 mm, tail 50-80 mm, ear 80-120 mm, hindfoot 110-145 mm; weight 1:4.2-6 kg. The Manchurian Hare has soft, long, and thick fur. Dorsal fur is grayish black to blackish brown to rust-brown, and ventral fur is whitish. Chest, flanks, and legs are cinnamon. Ears are ocherous or cinnamon-buff, and neck is dull rust-brown. Tail is blackish brown above and dull white or gray below. The Manchurian Hare has seasonal variation, with pale winter fur and white belly, and some individuals even appear to be ash-gray. Melanistic individuals are common.

Habitat. Mainly mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests, particularly forests of tall Mongolian oaks ( Quercus mongolica, Fagaceae ) and thick undergrowth of Manchurian hazelnuts ( Corylus sieboldiana var. mandshurica , Betulaceae ), creepers, and vines, at elevations of 300-900 m. Hilly country with cliffs and rock outcrops is preferred. Manchurian Hares avoid open valleys, grassland, and human settlement.

Food and Feeding. The diet of the Manchurian Hare includes bark and twigs of willow, linden, maple, wild apple, birch, and elm. Manchurian Haresalso feed on various shrubs, herbs, and fallen fruits.

Breeding. Reproductive season of the Manchurian Hare starts in mid-February, and young first appear in May. Littersize is usually 1-2 young but occasionally as large as 4-5 young.

Activity patterns. Manchurian Hares are nocturnal but also active at dawn. Resting periods are spent in holes of tree trunks, and forms in open habitat are avoided.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information for this species, but the Manchurian Hare is probably solitary, except during mating.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Manchurian Hare is widespread and occurs in protected areas (e.g. Honghe, Liangshui, Huanren Laotudingzi, Baishilazi, and Sanjiang national nature reserves and Xingkaihu National Geopark). Nevertheless, population status is unknown. A threat to the Manchurian Hare is habitat loss due to forest clearing, which could allow invasion of competing Tolai Hares (L. tolaz).

Bibliography. Angermann (1966, 1983), Flux & Angermann (1990), Ge Deyan et al. (2012), Hoffmann & Smith (2005), Jones & Johnson (1965), Liu Jiang et al. (2011), Loukashkin (1943), Ognev (1966), Smith (2008c), Smith & Johnston (2008m), 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. Russian Far East (Amur, Khabarovsk, Primoryie), NE China (NE Inner Mongolia = Nei Mongol, Heilongjiang,Jilin, Liaoning), and perhaps extreme NE Korea.