70.

Black-eared Red-backed Vole

Eothenomys olitor

French: Campagnol a oreilles noires / German: SchwarzohrRotelmaus / Spanish: Topillo rojo de orejas negras

Other common names: Black-eared Chinese Vole, Chaotung Vole

Taxonomy. Microtus (Eothenomys) olitor Thomas, 1911, “Chao-tung-fu [= Zhaotung Xian, Yunnan, China].”

Eothenomys olitor 1s placed in the subgenus Anteliomys . It is closely related to E. proditor . Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

E.o.olitorThomas,1911—WYunnan(China).

E. o. hypolitor Wang & Li, 2000 — NE Yunnan (China).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 80-92 mm, tail 29-39 mm; weight 13-15 g. The Blackeared Red-backed Vole is the smallest species of FEothenomys. Tail is relatively long, c.40% of head-body length. Furis silky, blackish brown throughout butslightly lighter below. Feet and tail are dark brown; ears are decidedly black and contrast dorsal fur. Skull is small, lightly built, and flattened. Molars are hypsodont, and second upper molar is unique among species of Eothenomys by having prominent posterior salient angle on innerside (i.e. bearing three lingual salient angles). M”is frequently complex, with four inner salient angles.

Habitat. Mountain habitats with low annual fluctuations and high daily fluctuations in temperatures at elevations of 1800-3350 m. The rare Black-eared Red-backed Vole has been found in open fields.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Black-eared Red-backed Vole has relatively low body temperature (35-8°C) and proportionally high basal metabolic rate.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concerned on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Kaneko (2002), Luo Jing et al. (2004), Luo Zexun et al. (2000), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005), Zeng Tao et al. (2013), Zhu Wanlong et al. (2008).