Punjab Vole [1] ( Latin Hyperacrius wynnei ) is an Asian rodent from the genus Kashmiri voles . Endemic to Pakistan and India .
| Punjab Vole |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Squadron : | Euarchontoglires |
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Hyperacrius wynnei Blanford , 1881 |
| Security status |
|---|
Least ConcernedIUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 10643 |
|
Content
The species was first described in 1881 by W. T. Blanford and assigned to the genus Arvicola . The species name was given in honor of the British geologist A. B. Wynn , who provided the type specimen . For some time it was classified as a representative of the genus Microtus , but since the 1920s it has been considered as a species of the Kashmiri voles Hyperacrius [2] .
In the late 1960s, it was proposed to consider representatives of the species living east and west of the Indus as two different subspecies - the larger and dark-colored nominative subspecies H. w. wynnei and smaller and brighter H. w. traubi , named after the entomologist R. Traub . In the future, however, this division into subspecies was not supported by other authors [2] .
H. wynnei is the larger of the two species of Kashmiri voles. The larger eastern population has a total average body length of 14.7 cm , tail - 3.2 cm . The head is large, with a short and wide muzzle, the superciliary arches are moderately developed, the inter-dark bone is almost rectangular. The western population is somewhat smaller - the average total body length is 13.9 cm - and with smaller relative skull sizes. The fur is long, soft, glossy. The upper body is colored in dark tones (from dark brown to black), the lower is lighter - dark gray with brownish hair ends in the eastern population, gray with ocher hair ends in the western population. In addition to the size and nature of the coat, H. wynnei is morphologically different from the second species of Kashmiri voles, H. fertilis , in the structure of the baculum , which in H. wynnei is short and heavy, 2.5 mm long , 1.5 mm wide at the base and bulbous thickening at the far end [2] .
H. wynnei is a nocturnal and twilight rodent leading a flocking lifestyle [3] . Lives in holes in the coniferous forest and in clearings [2] .
The range of the species is limited by the slopes of the Himalayas in Pakistan ( Murray in the Punjab province and several separate locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province ) and India ( Jammu and Kashmir ). It occurs at altitudes from 1800 to 3000 meters above sea level in the coniferous forests of the temperate zone [3] ( H. fertilis is found at higher altitudes in alpine meadows [2] ).
Despite the limited range, the Red Book considers Hyperacrius wynnei as a whole as a species under the least threat . Although the exact abundance of the species is unknown, it is estimated to be numerous and circumstances are not foreseen in which the threat to its existence will be assessed as higher. Moreover, in some regions, the existence of the species may be threatened by intensive agricultural activity, in particular, the expansion of the area of apple orchards and potato plantations [3] .
