95.

Sichuan Vole

Volemys millicens

French: Campagnol du Sichuan / German: Sichuan-Wihlmaus / Spanish: Topillo de Sichuan

Other common names: Szechuan Vole

Taxonomy. Microtus millicens Thomas, 1911, “ Wei-choe, Si-ho Rliver Valley].,” NW Sichuan, China.

Volemys millicens was formerly listed in Microtus but placed in a new genus Volemys by I. V. Zagorodnyuk in 1990. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from three localities in NC Sichuan, China.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 83- 95 mm, tail 46-53 mm, ear 14 mm, hindfoot 18-18-5 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Upperparts of the Sichuan Vole are dark brown; ventral pelage is grayish. Tail grayish brown above and white below. Dorsal surfaces of hands and feet are white. It is similar to Marie’s Vole (V. musseri) but smaller. The Sichuan Vole has flat, unridged skull. Only M* has posterior-lingual triangle. Females have eight mammae.

Habitat. High-elevation forests (4000 m). The Sichuan Vole can be found near crop fields and may compete for space and food with Edwards’s Long-tailed Giant Rat ( Leopoldamys edwards).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Sichuan Vole is terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Threats to the Sichuan Vole are illegal logging and development of tourism. There is a skiing facility under construction that might have consequences to population numbers of the Sichuan Vole.

Bibliography. Clayton (2016c), Lawrence (1982), Liu Shaoying et al. (2017), Lunde (2008), Musser & Carleton (2005), Zagorodnyuk (1990).