Nesolagus netscheri
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Lagomorpha
Leporidae
Nesolagus
Nesolagus netscheri

description: 9.
Sumatran Striped Rabbit
Nesolagus netscheri
French: Lapin de Sumatra / German: Sumatra-Streifenkaninchen / Spanish: Conejo rayado de Sumatra
Other common names: Sumatran Rabbit, Sumatran Short-eared Rabbit
Taxonomy. Lepus netscheri Schlegel, 1880,
“Sumatra: Padang-Padjang...about 2000 feet [= Padangpanjang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia; ca. 610 m].”
This species was first described as a species of Lepus but was soon given a separate genus. Its relationship with other leporidsis distinct, and the genus is regarded as being a primitive form. Analysis of 30 morphological characters has shown that N. netscher: and N. timminsi are morphologically similar, but there are significant differences in cranial morphometrics. A genetic analysis of mtDNA indicates that there is considerable genetic distance between the two species, compatible with the distance between leporid genera. Moreover, results suggest that N. netscheri and N. timminsi have been isolated for c.8 million years in the Pliocene. At that time, sea level was c¢.150 m lower than today, connecting Sumatra, Java, and Borneo to the Asian mainland, and ancestral Nesolagus might have been distributed over this region. Monotypic.
Distribution. W Sumatra (Barisan Mts).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 370-420 mm, tail 17 mm, ear 30-50 mm, hindfoot 67-87 mm. No specific data are available for body weight but probably c.1-5 kg. The Sumatran Striped Rabbit has very short ears. Fur has conspicuous wide black or dark brown stripes on a yellowish gray background that becomes rusty brown toward the rear. Ventral fur, chin, and insides of legs are whitish. Ears are black, and when folded forward, they only reach the eyes. Head is broad, muzzle short, and legs are short. Tail is extremely short, contains only twelve bones compared to 19-24 in other leporids, and is normally notvisible. Furis soft and short. Color is apparently variable among individuals, and stripes might be absent in front or much reduced.
Habitat. Montane forests at elevations of 600-1900 m on rich volcanic soil, and occasionally also primary/selectively logged lowland forest. The Sumatran Striped Rabbit has only been recorded twice in lowland forests below 600 m.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Sumatran Striped Rabbit includes plants from the forest understory such as Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae). Captive individuals fed only at night.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. The Sumatran Striped Rabbit is completely nocturnal and hides in dark places at bases oftrees, in burrows, or in holes in the ground during the daytime. [t probably uses burrows made by other animals because captive individuals do not dig.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Captive Sumatran Striped Rabbits were slow moving and spent the day nearly motionless.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Sumatran Striped Rabbit is endemic to Indonesia and apparently the rarest lagomorph. Historically,its distribution has been described as extending from southern Sumatra to Aceh along the Barisan Mountains, but no recent records have been made outside western Sumatra even though a numberof surveys and camera trappings have been conducted across the island. Recent sightings and photographs taken in the Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci-Seblat national parks suggest that the two parks serve as current refugia for the Sumatran Striped Rabbit. Considering that it is only active at night and lives in remote inaccessible habitat, it might not be surprising that local people had no name for it when it was discovered. Detailed surveys for other rare species on the island such as the Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) or the Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) have rarely encountered Sumatran Striped Rabbits, so they seem to be remarkably rare. Little is known about the biology, ecology, status, or distribution of the Sumatran Striped Rabbit. Only a dozen museum specimens collected between 1880 and 1916 exist. Since these collections were made, there has been only one confirmed sighting in 1972 and two photographic records of two different individuals taken by automatic camera traps in 1998. A few additional sightings and photographs from camera traps have been reported since 1998. Major threats to the Sumatran Striped Rabbit are deforestation, human encroachment, and poaching in many of Sumatra’s protected areas. Survival of the Sumatran Striped Rabbit depends on continued existence of their mountain forest habitat. Twenty-five years ago, recommendations highlighted urgent need for widespread studies of biology, ecology, status, and distribution of the Sumatran Striped Rabbit, but no funds have been provided to start these studies. Spotlighting along montane forest roads and camera trapping might be appropriate techniques for targeted ecological research on the Sumatran Striped Rabbit.
Bibliography. Averianov et al. (2000), Dinets (2010), Flux (1990), Hoffmann & Smith (2005), Jacobson (1921), McCarthy, Fuller et al. (2012), McCarthy, Holden & Martyr (2015), McNeely (1981), Meijaard & Sugardijito (2008), Surridge et al. (1999).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Leporidae, pp. 107-148 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 113, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6625539