Yarkand hare
Yarkand hare | |
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Drawing, circa 1879 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Lagomorpha |
Family: | Leporidae |
Genus: | Lepus |
Species: | L. yarkandensis
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Binomial name | |
Lepus yarkandensis Günther , 1875 | |
Yarkand hare range |
The Yarkand hare (Lepus yarkandensis) is a species of
Taxonomy
In 1875, the German
Description
It is a small hare, measuring 285 to 430 mm (11.2 to 16.9 in) in length, and weighs 1.1 to 1.9 kg (2.4 to 4.2 lb). The skull is small, measuring 76 to 88 mm (3.0 to 3.5 in) in length. It has narrow nasal cavities with their back portions being straight and flat. The supraorbital
It is distinguished from the desert hare (Lepus tibetanus), by its lack of black near the tip the peripheries of the ears. It is also distinguished from the Lepus oiostolus pallipes, by its lack of grey at the rump. It is also smaller in size and has thinner legs, than both the desert hare and the Lepus oiostolus pallipes.[3]
The species is easily distinguishable from other Chinese hares, having longer ears than the Chinese hare (Lepus sinensis). Like the woolly hare (Lepus oiostolus) and the Chinese hare, an examination of the skull shows the groove on the front face of the upper incisors is filled with cement.[11]
Distribution and habitat
Endemic to China, the Yarkand hare is restricted to the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang, China.[12] Its complete distribution, according to Angermann, falls in between 36° N and 42° N latitudes, and 76° E and 92° E longitudes.[1]
It prefers basins and desert areas vegetated with Chinese tamarisk (Tamarix chinensis), brush,[11] or poplar (Populus), along the peripheries of rivers that surround the mountains in the Taklamakan Desert.[5][1] This distribution of the Yarkand hare is ring shaped. It also uses reed vegetation along rivers for shelter, and tends to avoid agricultural fields.[1] About 200,000 individuals are estimated to inhabit the Tarim Basin.[7]
However, in 2010 Y.H. Wu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences flatly writes that the species is "endangered" due primarily to its fragmented and isolated islands of population. As Professor Wu wrote:
The Yarkand hare is an endangered species. ... [It] is distributed in scattered oases which are physically isolated by desert.[8]
Thus, its "natural fragmented habitat makes it an ideal object for study effect of habitat fragmentation on its genetic structure."[8]
Behavior and ecology
It is a mainly nocturnal species, generally out in early morning or late evening,[13] but may also feed at night. It hides in depressions, under vegetation, during the day.[5] Foraging on grass and crops,[1] the hare uses traditional foraging routes which can be 1 to 2 km (0.62 to 1.24 mi) long. Breeding season begins in February and can be seven to eight months long, extending up to September.[1][5] The female produces two or three litters annually, each consisting of two to five young.[5] Although there is no information on its home range, a high population density was previously inferred. In 1983, Gao recorded that in three hours observing in the field, four people could find 20 or more Yarkand hares.[13]
Their main predator is the eagle.[11]
Status and conservation
Since 1996, it has been rated as a
However, increased human activity within its range is undoubtedly impacting this species negatively. At present, there are no data available to quantify ongoing population decline. It is assumed that declines are moderate (approximately 30%) and is, therefore, listed as Near Threatened nearly qualifying for listing as Vulnerable (VU) under A2cd. The species occurs only in the widely spaced oases that surround the Tarim – making it highly fragmented; the majority of the desert has no water or vegetation. More data are needed on the actual population level of L. yarkandensis in the oases that define its AOO, as well as whether or not the species is currently poached for food or pelts.
Although it was regionally "classified as VU under criteria A1cd (Wang and Xie 2004)" a better criterion A2 was preferred, "as the cause(s) of decline have not ceased and are expected to continue in the future."[1]
The synergy of habitat loss, habitat patchiness and unsustainable harvest are cause for conservation concern.[5] As indicated previously, Chinese researchers think it is "endangered."[8]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h Smith, A.T. & Johnston, C.H. 2016. Lepus yarkandensis. (errata version published in 2017) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T11796A115103994. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T11796A45178274.en. Downloaded on 23 September 2017.
- ^ Wrobel 2007, p. 254.
- ^ ISSN 0374-5481.
- ^ Hoffman & Smith 2005, p. 205
- ^ ISBN 978-1400834112.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Alves, Ferrand & Hackländer 2007, p. 313.
- ^ S2CID 39299361.
- ^ ISBN 9781464965296.
- ISSN 1001-6538.
- ^ a b Sterndale 1884, p. 371.
- ^ a b c Pulliainen, Sulkava & Rkinaro 1983, p. 174–176.
- ^ Duff & Lawson 2004, p. 35.
- ^ a b c Chapman & Flux 1990, pp. 89–90.
Bibliography
- Alves, Paulo C.; Ferrand, Nuno; Hackländer, Klaus (2007). Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation. ISBN 9783540724469.
- ISBN 9782831700199.
- Duff, Andrew; Lawson, Ann (July 11, 2004). Mammals of the World: A Checklist. New Haven, London: ISBN 9780300103984.
- Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In OCLC 62265494.
- Pulliainen, Erkki; Sulkava, Seppo; Rkinaro, Eino E (1983). Symposia on lagomorphs, beaver, bear wolf and mustelids. Vol. 6. Finnish Zoological Pub. Board. pp. 174–176.
- Sterndale, Robert Armitage (1884). Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon. Calcutta, London: Thacker, Spink. pp. 371.
- Wrobel, Murray, ed. (2007). Elsevier's Dictionary of Mammals: in Latin, English, German, French and Italian. Amsterdam Boston, MA: ISBN 9780080488820.
Further reading
- Luo, Z.X. (2013) [1982]. "Revision of the taxonomic status of yarkand hare Lepus yarkandensis Gunther". Journal of North-Eastern Forestry Institute (in Chinese). (subscription required)
External links
- Ch Boudet. "Species Sheet, Yarkand hare". Mammals' Planet.
- "Lepus yarkandensis Yarkand Hare". Encyclopedia of Life.
- Nickolaev, Alexey (June 20, 2017). "Yarkand hare" (JPEG) (Photograph) – via Flickr.
- "Yarkand hare" (JPEG) (Photograph). iNatjuralist.org.
- "Yarkand hare". WildPro.