43.

Korean Red-backed Vole

Craseomys regulus

French: Campagnol de Corée / German: Korea-Graurotelmaus / Spanish: Topillo rojo de Corea

Other common names: Royal Vole, Southern Red-backed Vole

Taxonomy. Craseomys regulus Thomas, 1907, “Mun-gyong, 110 miles [= 177 km] S.E. of Seoul, [South Korea]. Alt. 1100- 1300 ft. [= ¢. 335—400 m].”

Craseomys regulus is in the subgenus Phaulomys . In the past, it was regarded as a subspecies of C. rufocanus and reported under different generic names: Clethrionomys, Mpyodes, and Eothenomys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Korea, except NE part of the peninsula.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 100-116 mm,tail 37-51 mm; weight 23-38 g. The Korean Red-backed Vole is medium-sized, with tail shorter than 50% of head-body length. There are four pairs of nipples. Pelage is shaggy in summer and long and soft in winter, cinnamon-brown on back and gray on belly. Young individuals are darker. Molars are rootless throughoutlife.

Habitat. Various habitats that provide cover (e.g. scrublands and forests). In South Korea, the Korean Red-backed Vole is more abundant in deciduous forests than in coniferous forests. It is also more abundant in forest interior than forest edge.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (as Myodes regulus).

Bibliography. Bibliography. Iwasa et al. (1999), Kaneko (1990), Koh Hung-Sun, Yang Beong-Kung, Heo Seon-Wook et al. (2011), Koh Hung-Sun, Yang Beong-Kung, Lee Bae-Keun et al. (2010), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005).