74.

Tarquinius Red-backed Vole

Eothenomys tarquinius

French: Campagnol tarquin / German: Tarquinius-Rotelmaus / Spanish: Topillo tarquino

Taxonomy. Microtus (Anteliomys) chinensis tarquinius Thomas, 1912, “ 23 miles [= 37 km] S.E. of Ta-tsien-lu [= Moxi], W. Szechwan [= Sichuan, China]. Alt. 10,000’ [= 3048 m].”

Eothenomys tarquinius is in the subgenus Ermates. It was originally described as a subspecies of E. chinensis and treated that way until very recently. Phylogenetic analysis showed that it is distinct from E. chinensis and deserves to be ranked as a species.

Monotypic.

Distribution. C Sichuan (China).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 101-108 mm, tail 68-76 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Tarquinius Red-backed Vole is medium sized, with tail longer than c.50% of head-body length. Pelage is brown above and gray below, and transition along flanks is gradual. Ears and tail are blackish brown; feet are dark brown. Skull is deep, relatively narrow across zygomatic arches and moderately ridged. Dental triangles are closed and alternating; M’ is complex, with four salient angles on each side.

Habitat. Mountainous habitats. Type specimen of the Tarquinius Red-backed Vole was collected at an elevation of 3000 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List due to its recent taxonomic recognition.

Bibliography. Kaneko (1996), Liu Shaoying, Liu Yang et al. (2012).