62.

Stoliczka’s Mountain Vole

Alticola stoliczkanus

French: Campagnol de Stoliczka / German: Stoliczka-Gebirgswiihimaus / Spanish: Topillo de montana de Stoliczka

Taxonomy. Arvicola stoliczkanus Blanford, 1875, “ Nubra valley, Ladak [= Ladakh]; Aktagh near Karakoram Pass,” India.

In the past, A. stoliczkanus included A. barakshin . Some authors treat stracheyi as specifically distinct from stoliczkanus . There is no consensus on number of subspecies, and several are known from a single site. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

A. s. stoliczkanus Blanford, 1875 — N Pakistan and NW India.

A. s. bhatnagari Biswas & Khajuria, 1955 — Himalaya in Nepal, NE India (Sikkim), and possibly N Buthan.

A. s. lama Barrett-Hamilton, 1900 — the entire Tibetan Plateau.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 93-127 mm,tail 13-27 mm; weight 21-50 g. Stoliczka’s Mountain Vole is small to medium sized. Tail is short, 13-22% of head-body length and densely covered with white hairs; terminal pencil is 8:5-9-5 mm. Ears are rounded, protruding only slightly above fur. Feet are small and whitish; claws are hidden by long hairs. Females have four pairs of nipples. Fur is up to 15 mm long, soft, light yellowish brown or rusty brown and interspersed with longer dark brown hairs. Belly is white, with slate underfur. Demarcation along flanks is frequently sharp. Juveniles are darker and grayer than adults. Skull is angular, weakly ridged, with expanded zygomatic arches and short braincase. Molars are hypsodont, with thin enamel and limited cementum in reentrant angles. M* is most simplified among species of Alticola, with only two inner salient angles.

Habitat. Moraines, boulders, accumulations of rock, and talus slopes above tree line at elevations of 3340-6140 m. Stoliczka’s Mountain Vole was also found on mountain peaks completely encircled by glaciers (nunataks).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Female Stoliczka’s Mountain Voles have two litters of 4-5 young each in April-August.

Activity patterns. Stoliczka’s Mountain Vole is predominantly nocturnal, even at temperatures down to —15°C, and rarely seen during the day .

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Daniel & Hanzak (1985), Gregori & Petrov (1976), Lunde (2008), Mead & Nadachowski (1999), Rossolimo & Pavlinov (1992), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005).