79.

Eastern Mole Vole

Ellobius tancrei

French: Campagnol de Blasius / German: Zaisan-Mull-Lemmming / Spanish: Topillo topo oriental

Other common names: Zaysan Mole Vole

Taxonomy. Ellobius tancrei Blasius, 1884, Kendyrlik (= Przevalskoie), Zaysan Lake Valley, Kazakhstan.

Ellobius tancrer is in the subgenus Ellobius . In the past, it was frequently treated as part of E. talpinus . Taxonomic distinc-| tion between these two species was first retrieved from chromosomal evidence and subsequently confirmed by molecular data. Six subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

E.t.tancre:Blasius,1884—EKazakhstanandNWChina(AltaiMtsandDzungariainXinjiang).

E.t.albicatusThomas,1912—NWChina(HamiregioninXinjiang).

E.t.coenosusThomas,1912—SKazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,andNWChina(TianShaninXinjiang).

E.t.fuscipepsThomas,1909—Uzbekistan,Tajikistan,andprobablyAfghanistan.

E.t.larvatusG.M.Allen,1924—Russia(Tuva),Mongolia,andNChina(Gansu,InnerMongolia[=NeiMongol],Ningxia,andShaanxi).

E. t. onentalis G. M. Allen, 1924 — NE China (E Nei Mongol).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 96-125 mm, tail 10-15 mm; weight 38-60 g. Females are slightly larger than males. The Eastern Mole Vole is remarkably similar to the Northern Mole Vole ( E. talpinus), but on average,it is lighter and lacks black variants. Back is sandy, light buffy gray, ocherous gray, fawn, or buffy gray. Flanks and belly are gray, light gray or nearly white, and clouded with slaty underhair. Head is grayish brown, dark brown, or dark gray. Extent of dark head is more variable than in other species of Ellobius . On one extreme, head is the same color as back, with some darker hairs between eyes and nose pad; entire head on the other extreme is dark between nose and shoulders. Skull is as in the Northern Mole Vole.

Habitat. Semi-deserts and deserts on plains and in hilly regions, steppes, alpine pastures, and rocky slopes in mountains and on high plateaus. In the Tian Shan and on the Pamir Mountains, Eastern Mole Voles have been recorded up to elevations of ¢.4000 m. Humid places in valleys, along streams, and around lakes are preferred; moving sands are avoided. They perform better in regions with deep snow.

Food and Feeding. Eastern Mole Voles feed on underground plant parts, especially starchy bulbs and tubers. Frequencies of various diet items in stomach samples were: underground plant parts 94-9%, green plant parts 39-2%, seeds 0-5%, bark 0-3%, and animals 0-5%. In south-eastern Kazakhstan, 62 species of plants were identified in the diet. Food is stored, and caches contain 800-2597 g, mostly tubers of garlic and tulip. In spring, caches are only 100-200 g. Twelve species of wild and cultivated plants were identified in caches in Tajikistan.

Breeding. Reproduction occurs in April-October, but there are regional differences. In south-eastern Kazakhstan, breeding season lasts only ¢.3 months. Birth rate is low and unpredictable, with intervals between litters from 32 days to ¢.6 months. Gestation is 26 days, and litters have 1-7 young. Number of embryos are 1-5/female (mean 2-6) in south-eastern Kazakhstan and 2-5 (3:7) in south-western Tajikistan. Females have 2-3 litters/season. Young are born hairless and blind. Eyes open at 22-26 days old, and young are weaned at 27-32 days old. Females are not sexually mature until the death of their mother.

Activity patterns. Eastern Mole Voles are active day and night and year-round. Annual peaks of digging are in March-April and September—October, and daily peaks are at 06:00-10:00 h and 14:00-17:00 h. With increase in elevation, activity is progressively more diurnal, giving individuals advantage of higher soil temperatures. Eastern Mole Voles are fossorial and spend little time aboveground. They live in complex burrow systems, with one or several main tunnels and numerous short side branches. Simple burrows, shorter than 2 m and with 2-5 mounds of excavated soil, are exceptional. Tunnels are 5-6 cm in diameter and usually at depths of 5-40 cm. About 30-40% of tunnels are plugged with soil. Mounds contain 310-4750 g (mean 1698 g) of excavated soil and cover an area of 336-1872 cm? (mean 1000 cm?). In highlands of Kyrgyzstan, c.4% of the ground’s surface is covered by mounds. Open tunnels are sealed in 2-5 minutes. A family of Eastern Mole Voles excavates an average of 7 g of soil/minute. Under snow, excavated soil is deposited on the ground’s surface in solid tubes that are few centimeters wide and up to 10-12 m long. Food caches and nest chambers are mainly 30-100 cm deep but can be 3-5 m deep. One or two caches (12 x 13 cm) are frequently located where feeding tunnels descend deeper. Although entrances to tunnels are sealed by mounds ofsoil, individuals occasionally open them, presumably for ventilation.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Eastern Mole Voles live in family groups of up to ten individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Ayzin (1979), Davydov (1964), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005), Sludskiy et al. (1978), Stubbe & Chotolchu (1968), Vorontsov & Yakimenko (1984), Wang Yingxiang (2003).