Craseomys shanseius Thomas 1908

44.

Shanxi Red-backed Vole

Craseomys shanseius

French: Campagnol du Shanxi / German: Shanxi-Graurételmaus / Spanish: Topillo rojo de Shanxi

Other common names: Shansei Vole, Shanxi Vole

Taxonomy. Craseomys shanseius Thomas, 1908, “ 100 miles N.W. of Tai-Yuen-Fu, Shan-si [= Guandi Shan or Nanyanshan, China]. 8000’ [= 2438 m].”

In the past, Craseomys shanseius was regarded either as part of C. rufocanus or classified as a species of Eothenomys or Caryomys. Monotypic.

Distribution. Inner Mongolia (= Nei Mongol), Shanxi, N Hebei, and Beijing (China).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 93-106 mm, tail 25-33 mm; 23-5-28 g. The Shanxi Red-backed Vole is small, with relatively shorttail of ¢.33% of head-body length. Females have four pairs of nipples, two pairs of pectoral and two pairs of inguinal. Fur is long and shaggy, lacks rusty shades, and is yellowish brown dorsally and light cream-buff on belly. Skull is small and has short rostrum. Molars remain rootless.

Habitat. Prefers mountain coniferous forests.

Food and Feeding. Diet consists of green vegetation, shoots, and seeds.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Shanxi Red-backed Vole is nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (as Myodes shanseius). Distribution of the Shanxi Red-backed Vole is fragmented and encompasses c.249,000 km?*.

Bibliography. Kaneko (1992), Lunde (2008), Luo Zexun et al. (2000), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005).