Myospalax psilurus
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Spalacidae
Myospalax
Myospalax psilurus

description: 4.
Manchurian Zokor
Myospalax psilurus
French: Zokor mandchou / German: Mandschurei-Blindmull / Spanish: Zocor de Manchuria
Other common names: North China Zokor, Transbaikal Zokor
Taxonomy. Siphneus psilurus Milne-Edwards, 1874,
south of Beijing, Chihli (= Hebei), China.
Member of M. psilurus species group according to G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005 but treated as a member of the M. aspalax group in I. Ya. Pavlinov and A. A. Lissovsky in 2012. It is the sister species of M. epsilanus, and the two have often been historically united into the same species, M. psilurus. M. A. Lawrence in 1991 proposed that M. psilurus was more closely related to other species of Myospalax than to M. epsilanus, butthis idea has since been broadly rejected. Morphological data and RAPD-PCR support the conclusion that M. psilurus is distinct from but closely related to M. epsilanus. They were united into the psilurus superspecies by Pavlinov and Lissovsky in 2012. Populations from Primorsky Krai, Russia, had been assumed to be M. epsilanus until recently. Monotypic.
Distribution. S Gansu to S Heilongjiang (NE China) and SW Primorsky Krai (Russia).
Descriptive notes. Head—body 200-270 mm, tail 35-55 mm; weight 185-400 g. Measurements are taken from A. T. Smith in 2008 and probably include size ranges for the Khingan Zokor (M. epsilanus). The Manchurian Zokoris straw gray with slight reddish or yellow tones. Cheeks and forehead are ashy fawn. White blaze is present on back of head. Venter is grayer. Tail and feet are almost naked; long sparse white hairs are present. Incisive foramen of the Manchurian Zokor is longer than that of the Khingan Zokor. Diploid numberis 2n = 64.
Habitat. Rivervalleys, fallow land, steppe woodland, and early succession forest, preferring steppe meadows.
Food and Feeding. Manchurian Zokors feed on roots, rhizomes, stems, bulbs, and shoots of a variety of plants. Small rodents (Apodemus and Phodopus) have been found in the stomachs of Manchurian Zokors.
Breeding. Mating of Manchurian Zokors occursin late April to early May. One litter of 2-4 young is produced per year. Young are typically born in early May, weaned in early June, and remain with their mother through spring and early summer. By October,at a length of c.190 mm, juveniles establish their own small burrows near their mothers. Longer distance aboveground dispersal may take place the following spring.
Activity patterns. Manchurian Zokors are most active at dusk and dawn.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows of Manchurian Zokors include feeding tunnels located 12-20 cm belowground and a deeper (40-110 cm) section that includes a nest, storage chambers, and toilets. Active digging occurs in feeding tunnels while food is sought. Feeding tunnels are plugged when they are abandoned. Digging activity markedly increases in October when extra food is gathered for winter.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List and the 2016 China Red List (assessments that include M. epsilanus). Populations of Manchurian Zokor in Primorsky Krai, Russia, are declining.
Bibliography. Allen (1940), Jiang Zhigang et al. (2016), Lawrence (1991), Musser & Carleton (2005), Ognev (1947), Pavlenko, Tsvirka et al. (2014), Pavlinov & Lissovsky (2012), Puzachenko (2016f), Puzachenko, Pavlienko & Korablev (2009), Puzachenko, Pavlenko, Korablev & Tsvirka (2014), Shar et al. (2008), Smith (2008b), Tarasov et al. (2011), Tsvirka et al. (2011).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Spalacidae, pp. 108-142 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 132, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6609100