Theriology Research Project- In search of elusive lagomorphs

Elusive leporids and pikas project is survey of rare genres and populations dated few years ago. Populations of uncertain origin and relatedness are called recondite populations. Their common feature is also the fact that there weren’t studied before. Many populations look like similar despite that they may differ from each other enough to be grouped to the other taxas. Populations less similar to each other genetically and morphologically are distinct units. Enigmatic groups or populations within disturbed areas are least understood. These rules fit many vertebrate populations including small furbearer mammals.

Leporidae consists above 60 species living around the world. Some populations were never before investigated. This subject is investigated for detection in gaps of their ecology. One of the population is European hare (Lepus europaeus) living in Caucasus Azerbaijan region or anatolian hares of the same species. It is believed that these population are more genetic distant to other hare populations occurred in Western Europe. French or German population is more related to South American or Australian populations than those living in siberian regions. It is documented that hares living in South America occupied various habitats from bushy steppes to wooded savannahs and humid forests. This is very interesting fact related to occupied free-niches in habitats. Various pelage variations of European hare is known throughout it’s range. e.g. in Turkey it is believed to have at least six kind of pelage variations depend geographically including pale wheat or blackish. In southern Poland I documented the same variations depend on locations even on small range. In Pogórze Tarnowskie area there are more brownish hare than in mountains of Beskid Wyspowy, where exist paler brownish and wheat hares.

Conservation is kind of scientific approach for protection of species. Conservation take themselves sources of ecological science. Many of leporid forms are threatened by extinction. Little is known about asiatic wooly hare (Lepus oiostolus). There are much gaps in knowledge of tropical kinds of these animals. Chinese lands are inhabited by almost unknown small lagomorphs pikas. Glover’s pika (Ochotona gloveri) live in central China in harsh places and moupin pika (Ochotona thibetana) is enigmatic animal. Other species was not yet investigated in broader sense. There are six species of pikas within pakistani wildlife. One of them is Afghan red pika (Ochotona rufescens), reddish lagomorph living in mountains. It is species living in fragmented populations for many times. Little is known on populations from Turkmenia or Armenian population.Ochotona roylei is better known species.Some research was conducted studies on population abundance of this such little-known animal. Population data of that species elsewhere apart of known range e.g. in China is undelivered. Populations of some other species was not yet evaluated in these countries of central Asia. Some researchers provided mysterious news on medical uses “mumeo” of pikas un Kazakhstan. Many species of pikas live throughout central Asian worlds, and plenty of populations could be inhabited in regions not yet surveyed. Creatures black or very dangerous is known in asiatic countries and it could be species of pikas. Many of pika populations was enigmatic. New species of leporid, Venezuelan lowland rabbid (Sylvilagus varynaensis) was unknown up to 2001, despite that is the largest species of its own genus. This silvilagus rabbit is endemic to open habitat of Fundo Millano and Chorrosco Bajo in state of Barinas and is described based on three aspects of taxonomic evaluation. It is probably there possible exist more endemic mammals of this genus or family in not-recognized areas of tropical thick forested regions of South America in such countries as Columbia, Suriname or northeastern Brasil. More reports of that rabbits in forested regions was noted.

On the opposite part of world, on two small islands of Japan, Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima, located between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa live inhabitant, primitive living fossil similar to animals living in Miocene, namely Amami rabbid once widely distributed throughout mainland Asia, in nowadays survived as nocturnal forest-dweller. It have outlandish appearance and is rarely seen by natives. Furthermore this nocturnal species also leads a sort of unusual lifestyle. Although endangered, based on fecal pellet count and resident survey it is estimated to be almost 5 thousand individuals on both Islands. Predators is threat for surviving this uncertain populations and are responsible for decline in their size. There is lack of survey of more isolated populations. Very low abundant species living elsewhere in surrounding or distant asian Islands is not yet detected. Bunyoro rabbit (Poelagus marjorita) monothypic and endemic to central african is incredible rare in museum and gathered in two relic populations living in quite-well available conditions in unexplored habitats. Absolutely little was known about population. Once determined in 2006 as population very restricted into four countries, but in 2013 carried out estimation that it could live in high abundance as provided by night-road surveys. It is probable that in one habitats or regions it could live in high or low abundance, respectively. There are more living endemic rabbits, those living in Mexico volcano, on southeastern Asian rainforest and elsewhere not yet reported by zoologists. Electrise reports are not yet provided.

There are one hare species occurred in northern and western Africa, namely Cape Hare (Lapus capenesis), occurred elsewhere in African continent. Although, there are plenty of local forms of this such kind of leporid, many of them are different to others, including (L.c. whitakeri) in Mahgreb lands. These forms was once recognized, but due to lack of genetic evidence and no any conservation or taxonomic evaluation are forgotted for years.

Recondite populations of leporids are globally widespread and inhabits isolated regions in data-poor countries. Summarized, many populations was never before investigated due to lack of supports. Small detection probability and rarity within populations are enigma problem and further cryptozoological investigations show points where those populations and species of uncertain position exist. There are many more unknown populations of leporids and pikas. Investigations devoted its existence and moreover population parameters remain unresolved.

received 10.2013, published by independent author Tomasz Q. Pietrzak. contact @thomasquatl. code project 391mswTRJ. Gnhi archives.

References:
Haleem A., Ilyas O., Syed Z., Arya S. K. 2009. Abundance of Royle’s pika (Ochotona roylei) along an altitudinal gradient in Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya. Hystrix It. J. Mamm. 20(2): 111-119
Bonino N., E.D. Cossíos & J. Menegheti. 2010. Dispersal of the European hare, Lepus europaeus, in South America. Folia Zoologica 59:9-15
Demirbaş Y., Albayrak İ. and A. Yilmaz. 2013. Studies of ecomorphological variations of the European hare (Lepus europaeus) in Turkey. Arch. Biol. Sci., Belgrade, 65 (2), 559-566
Durant P. and Guevara M. A. 2001. A new rabbit species (Sylvilagus, Mammalia: Leporidae) from the lowlands of Venezuela. Revista de Biologia Tropical 49(1): 369-381.
Durant P. and Guevara M. A. 2000. Habitat of a Venezuelan lowland rabbit, Sylvilagus varynaensis (Lagomorpha: Leporidae). Revista de Ecologia 7(1-2): 1-10.
Happold D. C. D. and Wendelen, W. 2006. The distribution of Poelagus marjorita (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) in central Africa. Mammalian Biology 71(6): 377-383
Sert H., Suchentrunk F. and Erdoğan A. 2005. Genetic diversity within Anatolian brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas,1778) and differentiation among Anatolian and European populations. Mammalian Biology 70, 171-186.

online sources:
YAY! Japan’s Rare Black Amami Rabbits No Longer Endangered! Kids News Article – Page 8
Dispatches from Uganda: Threats to Habitat, Biodiversity, and Sustainability — and Discoveries of Giant Rabbits!
ADW: Ochotona roylei: INFORMATIOn
The mysterious Mumeo