Ochotona hyperborea fedoseevi, Lissovsky, Andrey A., Obolenskaya, Ekaterina V., Dokuchaev, Nikolai E. & Okhlopkov, Innokentiy M., 2021

Lissovsky, Andrey A., Obolenskaya, Ekaterina V., Dokuchaev, Nikolai E. & Okhlopkov, Innokentiy M., 2021, Intraspecific variation and taxonomy of northern pika Ochotona hyperborea (Mammalia, Lagomorpha), Journal of Mammalogy 102 (1), pp. 28-53 : 40

Ochotona hyperborea fedoseevi , ssp. nov. Lissovsky

Holotype.— Zoological Museum of Moscow State University S-194595 , subadult male, skin and skull ( Figs. 8 and 9 ). Collected by A. A. Lissovsky and E. V. Obolenskaya 12 September 2014 at Russia: Khabarovsk Territory; Bureinskiy Range, Bolshoy Suluk Lake; 51.301 N, 134.333 E.

Etymology.— The name is given in honor of famous land surveyor G. A. Fedoseev, who made a great contribution to the description of the Russian Far East; his popular books gave impulse to several generations of investigators to explore this territory.

Diagnosis.— The new subspecies can be distinguished from the rest O. hyperborea (except for Ochotona hyperborea yesoensis ) by the specific shape of the frequency modulation curve of alarm call: the frequency grows first, then decreases ( Fig. 6 ); ascending branch of the curve prevails over descending. Maximum of basal frequency is above 5500 Hz. Representatives of the new subspecies form separate clade E in the molecular phylogenetic analysis ( Figs. 1 and 3 ).

Description.— The new subspecies cannot be distinguished from remaining O. hyperborea by morphological traits; the identification should be carried out on the basis of bioacoustic and genetic features described in the diagnosis.

The dorsal parts of pikas in summer fur are reddish brown, ventral parts are ochraceous. The dorsal parts of winter specimens are gray brown with darker median stripe, sides are sandy, ventral parts are gray or sandy. Fur near eyes is gray. Condylobasal length 37.3 mm (35.4–39); zygomatic breadth 20.0 mm (18.9–20.7).

Distribution.— Inhabits a number of mountain ranges in the Russian Far East—from the left bank of the lower Amur River to Tukuringra Range in the west: Djaki-Unakhta-Yanbiyana, Bureinskiy, Turana, Ezop, Tukuringra–Dzhagdy, and closely situated mountain ranges and uplands. The northern limit of the distribution goes along the Uda River Valley and Verkhnezeyskaya Plain. The Tukuringra Range population bears mitotypes of O. h. cinereofusca . The contact zone with O. h. cinereoflava has not yet been found, our model suggests this zone should be situated in the area of the upper Aldan River.

Nomenclatural notes.— No available names have been previously described from the distribution range of this subspecies. We therefore describe a new subspecies herein.

Figures

Fig. 8.—Skull of the holotype of Ochotona hyperborea fedoseevi ssp. nov. ZMMU S-194595.

Fig. 9.—Skin of the holotype of Ochotona hyperborea fedoseevi ssp. nov. ZMMU S-194595.

Fig. 6.—Distribution of alarm calls of Ochotona hyperborea in the space of principal components (PCs) of parameters of the shape of the frequency modulation curve. Each call is marked by the identifier of Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 lineage. A representative sonogram of each acoustic race is shown.

Fig. 1.—Median joining network of haplotypes of Ochotona hyperborea based on the mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1. Hash marks reflect the number of mutational differences between haplotypes separated by more than one mutation.

Fig. 3.—Median joining network of haplotypes of (A) interleukin 1 receptor accessory protein-like 1 of Ochotona hyperborea; (B) protein kinase C iota of Ochotona hyperborea. The lineages of Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 are shown by the fill color. Hash marks reflect the number of mutational differences between haplotypes separated by more than one mutation.