84.

Przewalski’s Steppe Lemming

Eolagurus przewalskii

French: Campagnol de Przewalski / German: Przewalski-Lemming / Spanish: Lemming de estepa de Przewalski

Other common names: Tibetan Yellow Steppe Lemming

Taxonomy. Eremiomus przewahkii Buchner, 1889, shore of Iche-zaidemin Nor, Tsaidam region, Qinghai, China.

In the past, E. przewalskii was considered a subspecies of E. luteus . Monotypic.

Distribution. NW & S Mongolia and China (NW Gansu, Inner Mongolia [= Nei Mongol], and Qinghai).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 125-130 mm, tail 9-20 mm, ear 4-5 mm, hindfoot 18-21 mm; weight 58-80 g. Fur color of head and upperparts of Przewalski’s Steppe Lemming is light sandy-yellow, underparts are light whitish, and tail is uniformly light white. There are four plantar pads. Claw of first pollex is large and blunt. Auditory bullae are large and inflated, projecting backward from level of occipital condyle. M? has two inner and three outer angles. M, has seven partially isolated dentine areas on masticatory surface; anterior loop is simple oval and not completely isolated from antero-lingual triangle. Chromosomal complement is not known.

Habitat. Semi-deserts and deserts at elevations up to 3100 m. Przewalski’s Steppe Lemming occupies areas with clay, sandy, or gravel soils and sparse shrubs and grasses, preferring depressions of meso-relief and banks of dry riverbeds.

Food and Feeding. Przewalski’s Steppe Lemming feeds mainly on green plant parts but occasionally eats seeds but in relatively small amounts. It stores dried green plant parts for winter; winter stores can be up to 3-6 kg/storage chamber.

Breeding. Reproductive period of Przewalski’s Steppe Lemming lasts from mid-March to September. Litters have 3-11 young (average 6-4). Adult females can produce 2 litters/year.

Activity patterns. Przewalski’s Steppe Lemming is nocturnal and crepuscular in summer.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Przewalski’s Steppe Lemming probably lives in a family group that occupy a single burrow with 1-3 nest chambers (10-30 cm in diameter) at depths of 11-130 cm, 1-3 storage chambers, and 1-3 latrines connected by tunnels. Surface areas of burrows are 2:1-19-3 m*. There are 3-7 entrances, and total lengths of tunnels are 3-5-19-5 m.

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

Bibliography. Bannikov (1954), Gromov & Polyakov (1977), Sokolov & Orlov (1980), Zhang Yongzu et al. (1997), Zhao Kentang (1984).