[Mammalogy • 2017] Rediscovery of the Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal After Three Decades

Caprolagus hispidus (Pearson, 1839)

in Khadka, Yadav, Aryal & Aryal, 2017. 

DOI:  10.3126/cs.v5i1.18560 

Summary: 

The critical endangered hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus) was first recorded as present in Chitwan, Bardiya and Shuklaphanta National Parks of Nepal in 1984. Since then, the species was recorded only in Bardiya and Suklaphanta National Parks. For more than three decades, it had not been observed in Chitwan National Park (CNP), where it was consequently considered extinct. In January 2016, a new recording for the hispid hare took place in CNP, placing that rare mammal again within CNP mammal assemblages. We reported the first photographic confirmation of the presence (30 Jan 2016) of the species in the CNP after 1984. The presence of hispid hare is confined to isolate patched of grassland of the national park. The population of the hispid hare is rapidly declining due to anthropogenic pressure and grassland fire from its distributed range (only found in Nepal, India, and Bhutan). Therefore, further study about their presence-absence, population status need to do throughout the grassland of the low land of Nepal including the newly rediscovering park.

Keywords: Hipsid hare, Chitwan National Park, new records, small mammals 

Hispid hare individual which was recorded in Chitwan National Park in 2016, as captured by camera-traps. The present recording is the 2nd observation of the species in the region since 1984.

photo: Bed Khadka

Bed Bahadur Khadka, Bhupendra Prasad Yadav, Nurendra Aryal and Achyut Aryal. 2017. Rediscovery of the Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal After Three Decades.   Conservation Science. 5(1); 10-12. DOI:  10.3126/cs.v5i1.18560

Small mammal thought to be extinct rediscovered in Nepal's national park  phy.so/440410736 via @physorg_com

[Mammalogy • 2017] Sylvilagus parentum • A New Species of Cottontail Rabbit (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) from Suriname, with Comments on the Taxonomy of Allied Taxa from northern South America

DOI:  10.1093/jmammal/gyx048/3828752

noticias.uol.com.br

Abstract

Of the 19 currently recognized species of Sylvilagus Gray, 1867, 15 inhabit North America, and only 5 are recognized in South America: S. brasiliensis Linnaeus, 1758 (throughout most of the continent); S. varynaensis Durant and Guevara, 2001, restricted to the southern lowlands of Venezuela (states of Barinas, Portuguesa, and Guarico); S. andinus (Thomas, 1897) from the Andean páramos of Ecuador and potentially in a sporadic manner to the Colombian and Venezuelan páramos; and S. tapetillus Thomas, 1913, from the coastal plain in the region of Rio de Janeiro. In addition to these, putative subspecies of S. floridanus, primarily a North American taxon, nominally are recognized from the grassland plains areas of northwestern South America east of the Andes. While S. varynaensis and S. tapetillus are monotypic, S. brasiliensis contains at least 37 named taxa in synonymy, distributed in various habitats; S. andinus requires further study. As a result of the recent description of a neotype for S. brasiliensis, it is now possible to assess species limits and begin the process of illuminating formerly obscured biological diversity in South American cottontails. Here, I describe a new species of Sylvilagus from the lowlands of western Suriname, and excise S. sanctaemartae Hershkovitz, 1950 from synonymy with S. brasiliensis. 

 Keywords: biodiversity, center of endemism, Colombia, conservation, Guiana Refuge, Guyana Area of Endemism, Guyana Shield, Neotropics, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

  External appearance of the species under consideration herein. Dorsal and ventral views of (left to right) Sylvilagus parentum, RMNH 31149, ♀, holotype; S. sanctaemartae, USNM 279993, ♀, holotype; S. brasiliensis, UFPE 1740, ♂, neotype. 

DOI:  10.1093/jmammal/gyx048/3828752/ 

Sylvilagus parentum, species nova 

Suriname Lowland Forest Cottontail, bakrakondre konkoni, langa jesi konkoni

Lepus brasiliensis Linnaeus, 1758:58. Part. 

Type locality: “America meridionali” [South America] 

Sylvilagus brasiliensis Hoogmoed, 1983:35. Part, not Linnaeus, 1758. Hoogmoed (1983:41) noted that “… ik het niet gewaagd om de Surinaamse konijnen tot een bepaalde subspecies te rekenen.” [I have not dared to assign the Surinamese rabbits to a particular subspecies [of S. brasiliensis].]

Etymology.— Genitive plural of the Latin noun parens, for my parents, Patricio Ruedas Younger (11 January 1931–22 February 2014) and Paloma Martín Daza (b. 25 January 1937), who supported me in so many ways during my life. Ordinarily, I prefer indigenous names; however, in the present instance, there are none such (E. B. Carlin, Section of Languages and Cultures of Native America, Leiden University Centre for Linguistics, in litt.). The Maroon name is konkoni, a name clearly derived from the Dutch “konijn,” and a term also applied to the agouti, Dasyprocta sp. (D. cristata, of uncertain taxonomic status, and D. leporina both occur in the region), hence lacking in information content.

Luis A. Ruedas. 2017. A New Species of Cottontail Rabbit (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) from Suriname, with Comments on the Taxonomy of Allied Taxa from northern South America.  Journal of Mammalogy. gyx048. DOI:  10.1093/jmammal/gyx048/3828752

Nova espécie de coelho sul-americano é descoberta por cientistas...

https://noticias.uol.com.br/ciencia/ultimas-noticias/redacao/2017/05/19/nova-especie-de-coelho-sul-americano-e-descoberta-por-cientistas.htm

De las 19 especies de conejos actualmente reconocidas en el género Sylvilagus Gray, 1867, 15 habitan Norteamérica mientras que solo cinco se conocen de Suramérica. Estas son S. brasiliensis Linnaeus, 1758 (en la mayor parte de la región), S. varynaensis Durant y Guevara, 2001 (restringido a las llanuras del sur de Venezuela, en los estados de Barinas, Portuguesa y Guarico), S. andinus (Thomas, 1897) de los páramos andinos de Ecuador y esporádicamente hasta los páramos de Colombia y Venezuela, y S. tapetillus Thomas, 1913, de las planicies costeras en la región de Rio de Janeiro. Además de estas cuatro especies, se reconoce de forma nominal en las llanuras y pastizales del noroeste de Suramérica, al este de los Andes, a supuestas subespecies de S. floridanus, una especie mayormente norteamericana. Aunque S. varynaensis y S. tapetillus son monotípicas, S. brasiliensis en cambio comprende por lo menos 37 taxones en su sinonimia, distribuidos en numerosos y variados ambientes; se desconoce aún la taxonomía de S. andinus. Uno de los resultados de la reciente descripción de un neotipo para S. brasiliensis es que ahora es posible llevar a cabo una delimitación más certera de las especies de Sylvilagus en Suramérica. Con esto se puede así iniciar un proceso de descubrimiento de la diversidad biológica regional en el género, diversidad previamente entenebrecida. En el presente trabajo describo una nueva especie de Sylvilagus de las llanuras del oeste de Surinam, y extraigo a S. sanctaemartae Hershkovitz, 1950 de su sinonimia con S. brasiliensis.

[Mammalogy • 2017] Multilocus approaches reveal Underestimated Species Diversity and Inter-specific Gene flow in Pikas (Ochotona) from southwestern China

   Ochotona roylii, Langtang National Park, Nepal

DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.11.005 

Highlights

• A potential new subgenus represented by the O. syrinx group.

• Uncover three potential new species.

• Mitochondrial introgression was observed from O. cansus to O. curzoniae.

Abstract

The phylogeny of living pikas (Ochotonidae, Ochotona) remains obscure, and pika species diversity in southwestern China has never been well explored. In this study, 96 tissue samples from 11 valid species in three classified subgenera (Pika, Ochotona and Conothoa) from 23 locations were characterized using multilocus sequences of 7031bp. Two mitochondrial (CYT B and COI) and five nuclear gene segments (RAG1, RAG2, TTN, OXAIL and IL1RAPL1) were sequenced. We analysed evolutionary histories using maximum likelihood (RAxML) and Bayesian analyses (BEAST), and we also used molecular species delimitation analyses (BPP) to explore species diversity. Our study supported O. syrinx (O. huangensis) as a distinct clade from all named subgenera. Relationships among subgenera were not fully resolved, which may be due to a rapid diversification in the middle Miocene (∼13.90 Ma). Conflicting gene trees implied mitochondrial introgression from O. cansus to O. curzoniae. We uncovered three cryptic species from Shaanxi, Sichuan and Yunnan with strong support, suggesting an underestimation of species diversity in the “sky-island” mountains of southwest China.

Keywords: Cryptic species; mitochondrial introgression; multilocus species delimitation; Ochotona

Conclusion: 

This study inferred the phylogeny of 14 taxa including three cryptic species within a diverse assemblage. Our results supported the O. syrinx group as a distinct lineage beyond the four recognized subgenera, and thus this group may represent a distinct subgenus. Two and one cryptic new species were found in the O. syrinx group and O. thibetana, respectively, suggesting underestimated species diversity in the mountains of southwestern China. Additionally, our results supported mitochondrial introgression from O. cansus to O. curzoniae. Relationships among subgenera remain unresolved, calling for further studies using phylogenomic data. Nevertheless, the unresolved relationship at the root of the genus may be a result of accelerated uplift of the Himalaya and consequences of geographic isolation and rapid diversification.

Narayan Prasad Koju, Kai He, Mukesh Kumar Chalise, Chris Ray, Zhongzheng Chen, Bin Zhang, Tao Wan, Shunde Chen and Xuelong Jiang. 2017. Multilocus approaches reveal Underestimated Species Diversity and Inter-specific Gene flow in Pikas (Ochotona) from southwestern China.
 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.11.005

[Mammalogy • 2017] Ochotona sikimaria • Genetics, Morphology and Ecology reveal A Cryptic Pika Lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya

Ochotona sikimaria 

 Photo by Prasenjeet Yadav  theladiesfinger.com
  DOI:  10.1016/j.ympev.2016.09.015  

Highlights

• We investigated the taxonomic position of Ochotona thibetana sikimaria, a pika subspecies with a disjunct range.

 • Our phylogenetic analyses confirm O. t. sikimaria as a cryptic species, sister to O. curzoniae and O. cansus, while morphologically similar to O. thibetana.

• We propose this clade be recognised as a new species, and recommend naming it Ochotona sikimaria.

Abstract

Asian pika species are morphologically ∼similar and have overlapping ranges. This leads to uncertainty and species misidentification in the field. Phylogenetic analyses of such misidentified samples leads to taxonomic ambiguity. The ecology of many pika species remains understudied, particularly in the Himalaya, where sympatric species could be separated by elevation and/or substrate. We sampled, measured, and acquired genetic data from pikas in the Sikkim Himalaya. Our analyses revealed a cryptic lineage, Ochotona sikimaria, previously reported as a subspecies of O. thibetana. The results support the elevation of this lineage to the species level, as it is genetically divergent from O. thibetana, as well as sister species, O. cansus (endemic to central China) and O. curzoniae (endemic to the Tibetan plateau). The Sikkim lineage diverged from its sister species’ about 1.7–0.8 myr ago, coincident with uplift events in the Himalaya. Our results add to the recent spate of cryptic diversity identified from the eastern Himalaya and highlight the need for further study within the Ochotonidae.

 Keywords: Cryptic lineage; Himalaya; Ochotona; Phylogeny; Sikkim

Nishma Dahal, Andrey A. Lissovsky, Zhenzhen Lin, Katherine Solari, Elizabeth A. Hadly, Xiangjiang Zhan and Uma Ramakrishnan. 2017. Genetics, Morphology and Ecology reveal A Cryptic Pika Lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 106; 55-60. DOI:  10.1016/j.ympev.2016.09.015

ResearchGate.net/publication/308184867_Genetics_morphology_and_ecology_reveal_a_cryptic_pika_lineage_in_the_Sikkim_Himalaya

Ph.D Student Nishma Dahal has Discovered a Whole New Rabbit Species in the Himalayas

http://theladiesfinger.com/pika-rabbit-new-species/

Bengaluru researchers discover rat-like mammal species in Sikkim Himalayas
 http://toi.in/3szyvb55   @TOIBengaluru

[Mammalogy • 2012] Using camera trap photos and direct sightings to identify possible refugia for the Vulnerable Sumatran striped rabbit Nesolagus netscheri

Using camera traps, wildlife researchers including doctoral candidate Jennifer McCarthy and environmental conservation professor Todd Fuller of the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently captured photographs of one of the rarest animals on earth, the Sumatran striped rabbit. They say it may now be found only in two remote national parks on the Indonesian island. (Credit: UMass Amherst)

Using camera traps, wildlife researchers including doctoral candidate Jennifer McCarthy and environmental conservation professor Todd Fuller of the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently captured photographs of one of the rarest animals on earth, the Sumatran striped rabbit. They say it may now be found only in two remote national parks on the Indonesian island.

Extremely Rare Sumatran Striped Rabbit Captured on Camera | @SciNewsCom: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/article00346.html 

Rare Sumatran rabbit photographed: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120525140149.htm 

2012. Using camera trap photos and direct sightings to identify possible refugia for the Vulnerable Sumatran striped rabbit Nesolagus netscheri. Oryx.  

[Paleontology/Mammalogy • 2010] Nesolagus sinensis • First discovery of fossil Nesolagus (Leporidae, Lagomorpha) from Southeast Asia

A new leporid species, Nesolagus sinensis sp. nov., is described here representing the only leporid ember of the Early Pleistocene Gigantopithecus fauna from Sanhe Cave, Chongzuo, Guangxi, South China and also the first fossil taxon of the Southeast Asian genus Nesolagus. Compared with two extant Nesolagus species from Indonesia and Vietnam and other related leprids, the new species has a relatively small size and an extraordinarily weak anterior internal reentrant (AIR) on p3, but it also retains the simplified paedomorphic pattern during the ontogenetic process as in extant species, which suggests that the new species is more primitive than and probably directly ancestral to extant Nesolagus species. The new species seems closely related to Alilepus longisinuosus from the Late Miocene strata of Lufeng, Yunnan, and probably diverged from a leporid similar to its ancestral form. It also indicates that Nesolagus originated in Southwest China.

Keywords: Guangxi of China, Early Pleistocene, Nesolagus sinensis sp. nov., Gigantopithecus fauna

Order Lagomorpha Brandt, 1885

Family Leporidae Gray, 1821

Genus Nesolagus Forsyth Major, 1899

Type species   Nesolagus netscheri (Schlegel, 1880)

Nesolagus sinensis sp. nov. (Figures 3 and 4)

Holotype: Fragmentary ramus of a left mandible with fragmentary incisor and p3 to m3 (IVPP V15932).

Type locality: Wuming Mountain in Chongzuo Ecological Park in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Geological age: Middle Early Pleistocene.

Etymology: Named for the first discovery of Nesolagus fossil in China (after Greek “Sino”, pertaining to China and the Chinese).

Citation:   Jin C Z, Tomida Y, Wang Y, et al. 2010. First discovery of fossil Nesolagus (Leporidae, Lagomorpha) from Southeast Asia. Sci China Earth Sci. 53: 1134–1140, doi: 10.1007/s11430-010-4010-3

[Mammalogy • 2000] Nesolagus timminsi | Annamite Striped Rabbit • A new species of Nesolagus (Lagomorpha, Leporidae) from Vietnam with osteological description

Nesolagus timminsi sp. n., based on a partial skeleton from Vietnam, differs from N. netscheri (Schlegel, 1880) from Sumatra by skull length larger, foramen lacertum smaller, P2 larger and having two folds on anterior face, m3 with two columns joined by a lingual dentine bridge. Detailed osteological description of  Nesolagus timminsi sp. n. is presented.

Distribution. – Annamite Mountains, Vietnam and Laos.

Etymology. – In honour of Mr. Robert J. Timmins, discoverer of the Annamiterabbit in Laos.

Surridge A. K., Timmins R. J., Hewitt G. M. and Bell D. J. 1999. Striped rabbit in Southeast Asia.

Nature. 400: 726. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v400/n6746/full/400726a0.html

Averianov A. O., Abramov A. V. and Tikhonov A. N. 2000. A new species of Nesolagus (Lagomorpha, Leporidae) from Vietnam with osteological description. Contributions from the Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg. 3: 1–22.

http://www.zin.ru/labs/theriology/publications/zin_nesolagus_2000.pdf

Can D. N., Abramov A. V., Tikhonov A. N. and Averianov A. O. 2001. Annamite striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi in Vietnam. Acta Theriologica 46: 437–440.

Abstract

The distribution of a new species of striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi Averianov, Abramov et Tikhonov, 2000 is restricted to the central part of the Annamite Mountains, along the border between Vietnam and Laos. A low density of separated populations and hunting pressure in Vietnam already makes this species critically endangered.

Key words: striped rabbit, Nesolagus timminsi, Vietnam

http://www.springerlink.com/content/513641173873pt3j/

[Mammalogy • 1999] Nesolagus spp. • Striped rabbit in Southeast Asia

The Annamite mountains of Laos and Vietnam have yielded several important mammalian discoveries1. We have found a striped rabbit of the previously monospecific genus Nesolagus, extending its known range more than 1,500 km north from the island of Sumatra into mainland Southeast Asia. The Sumatran and mainland Annamite populations are morphologically similar, but genetic data indicate that they have been isolated for millions of years.

Figure 1: Map of Southeast Asia showing the Sunda islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java.

Figure 2: Automatic camera-trap photographs of the striped rabbits.

a, Nesolagus netscheri in Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra (photograph from FFI). b, The striped rabbit from the Annamite mountains, photographed in the Pu Mat Nature Reserve, Vietnam (photograph from SFNC EC).

Surridge A. K., Timmins R. J., Hewitt G. M. and Bell D. J. 1999. Striped rabbit in Southeast Asia. Nature. 400: 726. doi:10.1038/23393 

[Mammalogy • 2011] Nuralagus rex | Minorcan Giant Lagomorph • an endemic insular giant rabbit from the Neogene of Minorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)

Abstract

We describe a new insular endemic lagomorph from the Late Neogene karstic deposits of Minorca (Balearic islands, Spain). Nuralagus rex, gen. et sp. nov., is characterized by an array of odd traits unknown for lagomorphs. Most outstanding are the gigantic size (average 12 kg), the robust postcranial skeleton with unique morphological traits (short manus and pes with splayed phalanges, short and stiff vertebral column with reduced extension/flexion capabilities), and the relatively small size of sense-related areas of the skull (tympanic bullae, orbits, braincase, and choanae). These morphological traits denote an important decrease in locomotor and neurological activities and, hence, a decrease in metabolic energy expenditure, which is concordant with the ecological conditions of the insular environment characterized by absence of predators and low levels of resource supply. Our discovery enhances the importance of the frequently neglected fossil record for our understanding evolution on islands, because it provides the perspective of time and adds valuable data from fossil insular ecosystems unaffected by anthropogenic alterations.

Nuralagus rex — Giant Extinct Rabbit was the King of Minorca http://bit.ly/Nuralagus-rex_Press

Reconstruction & Holotype

Josep Quintana, Meike Köhler & Salvador Moyà-Solà. 2011. Nuralagus rex, gen. et sp. nov., an endemic insular giant rabbit from the Neogene of Minorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 31 (2): 231–240. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.550367.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/repost-night-of-the-nuralagus-rex/