110.

Blyth’s Mountain Vole

Neodon leucurus

French: Campagnol de Blyth / German: Blyth-Felswiihimaus / Spanish: Topillo de montana de Blyth

Other common names: Blyth's Vole

Taxonomy. Phaiomys leucurus Blyth, 1863, near Lake Chomoriri, Ladakh, NW India.

Neodon leucurus was formerly placed in Phaiomys or Pitymys, but morphological and molecular data support closer relationship to N. wene and N. clarkei . Zheng Changlin & Wang Song in 1980 listed three subspecies, but waltoni and zadoensis are considered synonyms here following G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005. Monotypic.

Distribution. Tibetan Plateau of W China (Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Xizang), NW India (Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh), and N Nepal.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 98-128 mm, tail 26-35 mm, ear 10-13 mm, hindfoot 16-19 mm; weight 27-49 g. Dorsal pelage of Blyth’s Mountain Vole is yellowish brown, paler on sides and blending into yellowish gray ventral pelage. Tail is yellowish brown throughout. Uppersides of hands and feet are pale yellowish white. Females have four pairs of mammae, two abdominal and two inguinal. Molar enamel pattern is reduced, similar to species of Arvicola . M, has three triangles. Posterior margin of palate has median bony bridge, joining mesopterigoid fossa and separating two lateral pits. Blyth’s Mountain Vole is adapted to semi-fossorial lifestyle with its short ears and elongated claws.

Habitat. Temperate forests and high alpine grasslands at elevations of 2950-4500 m. Blyth’s Mountain Vole prefers grassy habitats, near watercourses and lakes. In Nepal, it was reported to inhabit arid, alpine desert biotope in Mustang District (elevations 3600-3900 m) along stream beds and riverbanks. In Qinghai Province, China, it was reported in sparse grasslands, even in marshy conditions, but not in the same habitat as the Smoky Mountain Vole (N. fuscus). Elsewhere on the Tibetan Plateau, Blyth’s Mountain Voles occupy grassy habitats with tall tussock or bunch grasses and turf slopes; others were found on grassy slopes with patches of iris ( Iridaceae). Habitats are covered by snow for most of the year.

Food and Feeding. Blyth’s Mountain Voles eat grass seeds, flowers, wheat, and fresh vegetation.

Breeding. In Nepal, breeding season of Blyth’s Mountain Vole occurs in March—August. Gestation lasts 21-23 days. One female reportedly had seven embryos, but typically females have 2-5 young/litter and up to 3 litters/year.

Activity patterns. Blyth’s Mountain Vole is diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Blyth’s Mountain Voles live mostly underground in deep burrow systems, with up to 20 individuals in a colony. They burrow in banks of rivers and lakes and move among boulders and rock crevices. They also move in passageways that they make under snow.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (as Phaiomys leucurus). In southern Asia, Blyth’s Mountain Vole is locally threatened by habitat loss.

Bibliography. Mitchell (1977), Mitchell & Derksen (1976), Molur (2016e), Musser & Carleton (2005), Zheng Changlin & Wang Song (1980).