Eothenomys melanogaster

66.

Pere David's Red-backed Vole

Eothenomys melanogaster

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).

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).