Eothenomys melanogaster (Milne-Edwards, 1871)

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Cricetidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 204-535 : 308-309

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6707142

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6762044

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F06D13-FFB3-2047-0899-13390A4AFDDC

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Eothenomys melanogaster
status

 

66. View Plate 11: Cricetidae

Pere David's Red-backed Vole

Eothenomys melanogaster View in CoL

French: Campagnol a ventre noir / German: Pére-David-Rotelmaus / Spanish: Topillo rojo de Pere David

Other common names: Melano-bellied Oriental Vole, Pere David's Vole

Taxonomy. Arvicola melanogaster MilneEdwards, 1872 , Moupin (= Baoxing), W Szechuan, China.

Eothenomys melanogaster is in the subgenus Eothenomys . It might consist of more than one species and is in need of a thorough revision. Additionally, E. melanogaster and E. miletus are still not unambiguously delimited. A number of subspecies have been recognized within melanogaster and miletus , but subspecific variation was never meticulously revised in any of them. Monotypic.

Distribution. NE Myanmar, China (SE Gansu, S Ningxia, Sichuan, W Yunnan, S Shaanxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, W Hubei, N Guangdong, S Anhui, N Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and N Fujian), and Taiwan . Reports from India and Thailand probably relate to the Yunnan Red-backed Vole (FE. miletus ). View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body 70-115 mm, tail 21-55 mm; weight 18-46-5 g. Body weight of Pere David's Red-backed Vole is highest in autumn and lowest in summer. It is medium-sized, and tail is short, 31-48% of head-body length. Ears are hidden in fur. Females have two pairs of inguinal mammary glands. Fur is velvety, uniformly black-brown above and slightly lighter below. Feet and sparsely haired tail are blackish brown. Skull is deep, with wide interorbital region, broad rostrum, and expanded zygomatic arches. Molars are hypsodont and rootless, with thick enamel, very little cement, and rounded outer angles. Alternating dental fields are widely confluent, and M? is simple, usually having only two inner salient angles.

Habitat. Mountainous forests and meadows with subtropical monsoon climate at elevations of 600-3000 m, abundant only above 1000 m. Pere David’s Red-backed Vole is catholic and occupies any site that provides sufficient cover.

Food and Feeding. Pere David's Red-backed Vole feeds on leaves and stems in spring and summer and fruits in autumn and winter.

Breeding. Breeding season of Pere David's Red-backed Vole is restricted to February-March and September—October.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Average home range of Pere David’s Red-backed Vole is 417 m* for males and 469 m? for females. Home ranges over- lap, even within the same sex, suggesting lack of territoriality. On average, females move more (33-3 m + 3-1 m SD) than males (28:2 m + 1-7 m SD).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Distribution of Pere David’s Red-backed Vole is ¢.1,000,000 km?.

Bibliography. Bao Yixin & Zhuge Yang (1986), Kaneko (2002), Luo Zexun et al. (2000), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005), Xu Jing et al. (2011), Yu Hontsen (1993).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Cricetidae

Genus

Eothenomys

Loc

Eothenomys melanogaster

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr 2017
2017
Loc

Arvicola melanogaster MilneEdwards, 1872

Milne-Edwards 1872
1872
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