76.

Murree Vole

Hyperacrius wynnei

French: Campagnol de Murree / German: Pakistan-Wihlimaus / Spanish: Topillo de Murree

Other common names: Conifer Kashmir Vole

Taxonomy. Arvicola wynnei: Blanford, 1881, “Ad Mari (Murree) in montibus Himalayanis occidentalibus.” Based on lecotype selection by C. J. Phillips in 1969, type locality fixed as “Muree, 7000 ft [= 2134 m], North Punjab (border of Rawalpindi-Hazara districts), West Pakistan.”

Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

H.w.wynne:Blanford,1881—LowerKaghanValleytotheEoftheIndusRiver,NPakistan.

H. w. traubi Phillips, 1969 — mountains W of the Indus River, N Pakistan.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 100-138 mm, tail 24-45 mm; weight 55-60 g. Murree Voles from western bank of Indus River are smaller. Except for its larger size, the Murree Vole is of similar shape and proportions as the Burrowing Vole ( H. fertilis). Nevertheless, fur is longer and more mole-like, ears are shorter (8-10 mm vs. 11-13 mm in the Burrowing Vole), and tail is relatively longer, accounting for more than 33% of head-body length. Dorsal pelage is dark brown or blackish brown, and belly is gray (washed ocherous buff in some populations). Tail is dark gray-brown and indistinctly bicolored. Immature individuals are darker gray. Skull is essentially as in the Burrowing Vole, although in the Murree Vole, nasals and interparietal bone are wider, parietals are smaller, zygomatic arches are more expanded, dorsal profile is more bowed, and braincase is deeper. Molars of the Murree Vole are like those in the Burrowing Vole.

Habitat. Himalayan moist temperate forests of west Himalayan fir ( Abies pindrow) and blue pine ( Pinus wallichiana), both Pinaceae; particularly abundant in cultivated and abandoned fields and on grassy slopes at elevations of 1830-3290 m. Presence of Murree Voles in forest is due to extension of home ranges from nearby open habitats. Thickets are avoided, and steep slopes are preferred because they provide good drainage during snowmelt. Minimum slope is 10°, and the Murree Vole is nearly absent from flat ground. It also avoids rocky habitat, being able to tolerate, at most, one-third of an area covered by rocks. It requires deep loamy soil to burrow, with moderate (at least 20%) grass cover.

Food and Feeding. Murree Voles feed in underground tunnels at all hours of the day . When vegetation is dense in July-September and provides cover from predators, they move from burrow entrances to collect vegetation during the day . They cut plants just above the ground’s surface and drag them underground. In Hazara (Balochistan, Pakistan), 23 species of plants were eaten by Murree Voles, and four of then formed 62% of the diet, including dock ( Rumex nepalensis, Polygonaceae), ragwort ( Senecio chrysanthemoides, Asteraceae), and bluegrass ( Poa pratensis, Poaceae). Dock was the most important (31% of diet) and was eaten in all seasons. In winter, Muree Voles feed on bark of grand viburnum ( Viburnum grandiflorum, Adoxaceae) and saplings and fruit trees in orchards. In other areas of Pakistan, preferred plants were ragwort and a perennial, Doronicum roylei (Asteraceae) . Damage to potato tubers were reported in autumn.

Breeding. In Hazara, pregnant Murree Voles were recorded throughout snow-free period in March—-November at proportion of 38% of all females, and this did not differ between seasons. Size of testes also did not depend on season. Presence ofjuveniles in March confirmed winter reproduction, so breeding can occur in all months of the year. Numbers of embryos were 1-4/female; two embryos were most frequent (mean 1-6). Winterlitters are evidently smaller, with a single embryo per female, possibly due to high preimplantation losses.

Activity patterns. The Murree Vole is fossorial and excavates extensive systems of tunnels. Digging activity peaks during the wet monsoon season (July-September). In May-November, amount of excavated soil averages c.65 cm?’/system. Excavated soil is pushed on the surface, but most tunnels are left unsealed. Numbers of opened burrows are 30-75/system (mean 55-2). Tunnels are 5:9.6-4 cm in diameter (mean 6-2 cm), and total lengths are 8-43-3 m/system (mean 22-9 m/system). Each system has several main tunnels and a number oflateral ones that branch in all directions and frequently ascend to the ground’s surface. Feeding tunnels are shallow, lying only 3-2— 7-5 cm deep. In Hazara, ¢.90% of tunnels were just 20 cm below the surface. Deeper burrows descend 35 cm, depending on depth of soil layer. Shallow burrows are connected to deep ones by vertical shafts. Nest chambers (14 cm x 17-5 cm) are 10-25 cm deep and located in the middle of the burrow system, which has 3-4 exits and a single grass-lined nest. Runways and shallow tunnels are constructed under snow. They are roofed over with particles of soil and gnawed plant material, presumably to prevent the snow arch from collapsing.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home range of the Murree Vole is defined by the extent ofits burrow system. It lives in family groups.

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

Bibliography. Arshad (1991), Hinton (1926), Molur et al. (2005), Phillips (1969), Roberts (1997), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005).