鼠平属(啮齿目,仓鼠科)同域分布物种形态学鉴别特征组的筛选

现有的分类系统尚缺乏可用于减少鼠平属物种种间鉴定不确定性的形态学鉴别特征。鉴于此,本研究旨在筛选出能够对同域分布的棕背鼠平(Myodes rufocanus)、红背鼠平(M.rutilus)和堤岸鼠平(M.glareolus)进行可靠鉴定的头骨形态指标和方法。为了达到以上目的,本文一方面筛选出能够用于种间鉴别的头骨和齿列形态特征,另一方面提出可用于鉴别以上3个物种的计算公式。对不同研究者提出用于鉴别以上3个同域分布物种的35个特征进行筛选。头骨形态测量数据的获取需要花费较长的时间,而且结果变异很大。在本研究中,剔除15个形态特征,20个相对保守的特征(包括来自头盖骨、牙齿和头骨其他部位的特征)被选择用于分析。在20个特征中,有8个特征被选择出来,并使用Statistica 10计算出判别公式。这些特征使准确鉴定不同个体各自所属种类成为可能。     

中国棕背(鼠平)亚种分化的研究(啮齿目:仓鼠科:田鼠亚科)

本文对中国山西、河北、内蒙古南部、大、小兴安岭、长白山及新疆等地区的215号棕背(鼠平)(Clethrionomys rufocanus)标本的外形和头骨的形态进行了亚种分化研究,认为分布于山西、河北、内蒙古南部棕背(鼠平)的亚种为Clethrionomys rufocanus shanseius(Thomas);大、小兴安岭及新疆地区的亚种为Cl.r.irkutensis(Ognev);而将分布于长白山地区的亚种定为一新亚种——棕背(鼠平)长白山亚种(Clethrionomys rufocanus changbaishanensis)。     

近金线(鱼巴)属的分类地位及金线(鱼巴)属的鉴别特征(鲤形目:鲤科:(鱼巴)亚科)

本文根据系统学原理,提出了建立新类元的依据;并据此从分类和系统发育上论证了近金线(鱼巴)属Anchicyclocheilus Li et Lan独立成属的可能性,认为应将近金线(鱼巴)属归于金线(鱼巴)属;修订了金线(鱼巴)属Sinocyclocheilus Fang的鉴别特征.     

中国薇(蟾)属分类研究((蟾)目,笛(蟾)科,长角枝(蟾)亚科)

对中国薇(蟾)属Pachyscia Redtenbacher进行了分类整理,共计5种,含1新种,海南薇螨Pachyscia hainanensis sp.nov.;描述了属征,编制了中国已知种检索表.新种模式标本保存于广州中山大学生物博物馆.     

中国叉(虫责)属二新种(襀翅目,叉(虫责)科)

记述我国叉(虫责)属Nemoura 2新种:吉林叉(虫责)N.ijlinensis sp.nov.、妙峰山叉(虫责)N.miaofengshanensis sp.nov.,描述了其形态特征并与近似种做了比较.     

中国倍叉(责)属三新种(责翅目:叉(责)科)

记述我国倍叉(责)属Amphinemura 3新种: 尖突倍叉(责)Amphinemura acutata sp. nov.、双突倍叉(责)Amphinemura didyma sp. nov.、单突倍叉 (责)Amphinemura singularis sp. nov..     

中国香港(虫)目昆虫以及管(虫)属的研究((虫)目)

根据近年来在香港地区采集到的一些虫目昆虫,经整理鉴定及文献记录,记述香港虫目昆虫3科6属9种,其中有1新种树基管虫Sipyloidea shukayi, sp. nov..制定了分类检索表,结合新种的鉴别,整理了全国管虫属Sipyloidea 已知种,制定出8个种的检索表.新种模式标本保存在中国科学院上海昆虫研究所.     

西藏鳞(虫兆)亚属二新种记述(弹尾目,鳞(虫兆)科)

记述采自西藏地区的弹尾目Collembola鳞(虫兆)科Tomoceridae鳞(虫兆)亚属Tomocerus(Tomocerus)2新种:黑带鳞(虫兆)Tomocerus(Tomocerus)nigrofasciatus sp.nov.(西藏:洛扎生格)和背崩鳞(虫兆)Tomocerus(Tomocerus)baibungensis sp.nov.(西藏:墨脱背崩),给出鉴别特征图以及在西藏地区的种检索表.新种模式标本保存在中国科学院动物研究所.     

中国海南省短角枝(螩)属分类研究((螩)目,(螩)科,克(螩)亚科)

对海南省短角枝(螩)属Ramulus Saussure进行分类整理,共计9种,含l新种,吊罗山短角枝(螩)Ramulus diaoluoshanse Ho,sp.nov.;及1新组合,尖峰岭短角枝(螩)Ramulus jianfenglingense(Chen et He,2008)comb.nov.,新种模式标本存放于广州中山大学生物博物馆.     

Arboreal gaits in three sympatric rodents Apodemus agrarius,Apodemus flavicollis (Rodentia,Muridae) and Myodes glareolus (Rodentia,Cricetidae)

Vertical stratification of the arboreal habitat allows the coexistence of several species in a given area, because the complex arboreal strata can be used in different ways by arboreal and scansorial mammals. The present report experimentally investigated the gait metrics on different arboreal substrates, of three sympatric rodents living in a deciduous forest in Poznań, Poland. Arboreal locomotion was compared between the burrowing striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius, the scansorial bank vole, Myodes glareolus, and the more arboreal yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis. We filmed two wild-caught individuals from each species walking on four different substrate diameters (2 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 25 mm) and three different inclinations (45° descending, horizontal, 45° ascending) at 240 fps and collected a set of gait parameters from a total of 273 complete cycles. Our results did not demonstrate clear relationships between arboreal locomotion and the ecology of the three species. Only A. flavicollis exhibited locomotor features partly associated with arboreal competence, including lower velocity and diagonality on narrow substrates and asymmetrical gaits on wider ones. On the other hand, the two Apodemus species, despite their different ecologies, shared a few locomotor similarities, such as velocity regulation primarily by stride frequency, and similar effects of substrate size and inclination on diagonality, duty factor, and duty factor index indicating the possibility of a phylogenetic signal. Because the selected gait parameters provided limited insight into the ability of small mammals to move competently through an arboreal habitat, these findings indicate that the relationship between behaviour and ecology is complex.     

A large panel of novel microsatellite markers for the bank vole (Myodes glareolus)

We describe a set of 66 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci isolated from the bank vole, Myodes (Clethrionomys) glareolus. These microsatellites were characterized for a long-term study on periodically fluctuating density of the bank vole population in Central Finland. We detected six to 38 alleles per locus in the population sampled at two different density phases, and the levels of observed and expected heterozygosities varied between 0.17 and 1.00, and between 0.72 and 0.95, respectively. This microsatellite panel serves as an informative tool for population and molecular genetic studies.     

Spatio-temporal interrelations of three sympatric species of voles (Mammalia: Rodentia) in the South Urals

The structural and functional organization and the spatio-temporal interrelations of three sympatric vole species (Microtus oeconomus, Clethrionomys, rutilus, and C. rufocanus) were analyzed on territories different in the type of their functional significance to the animals (survival stations, zones of temporary dispersal, and transit zones). The study was conducted in the environs of the Iremel massif (54 degrees 31'25" N 58 degrees 50'18" E) in 1979-1981, in four 1 ha marking-areas in four different altitudinal zones. It is shown that the abundance and demographic structure is different for each species pair in each area, whereas their dynamics in synchronous. The overlap of niches in two Clethrionomys species is small and cannot cause their competition for food. The distribution of voles within the areas is usually independent, but has some peculiarities depending on the type of territory usage by the animals. Preferred microterritories that help species to avoid competition are revealed for each species to occur in different areas. These are cases of spatial separation, not of ecological isolation of sympatric species. Spatial and temporal division of environmental resources is controlled by mechanisms that have developed in the process of the community's evolution.     

Ontogenetic and evolutionary trends in the tooth enamel features in Craseomys voles (Arvicolinae,Rodentia)

In Craseomys rufocanus and Craseomys rex, the age-related and species differences in thickness and microstructure of the first lower molars (ml) have been identified and studied. The results suggest that the enamel dimensional and microstructural features may serve as additional indicators of the vole tooth evolutionary stage within a single phyletic lineage.     

Multilocus phylogeny and taxonomy of East Asian voles Alexandromys (Rodentia,Arvicolinae)

Phylogenetic relationships, taxonomy and nomenclature issues within East Asian voles Alexandromys were addressed using comprehensive species samples, including all 12 valid species of the genus, and multilocus analysis. We examined the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene and three nuclear genes in 36 specimens. Additionally, we examined a data set of 106 specimens using only the cytb gene. Our results did not confirm the aggregation of A. kikuchii, A. montebelli and A. oeconomus into a separate clade, namely the subgenus Pallasiinus. Analysis of incomplete lineage sorting using JML software highlighted both the cases of mitochondrial introgression and incomplete lineage sorting within the genus. Thus, the sister position of A. sachalinensis and A. maximowiczii in mitochondrial trees could be explained by mitochondrial introgression, while the sister position of A. limnophilus and A. fortis in mitochondrial trees could be successfully explained by incomplete lineage sorting. Very short genetic distances, together with an absence of monophyly, of the three species, A. evoronensis, A. mujanensis and A. maximowiczii, is supported by multiple morphological data, which indicates that these three taxa should be one species—A. maximowiczii. Analysis of genetic distances and tree topology revealed that three species of short‐tailed voles—A. middendorffii, A. mongolicus and A. gromovi—are more closely related to each other than to other established species of Alexandromys. The lacustrine vole, A. limnophilus, is closely related to the group of short‐tailed voles. Analysis of the type specimens of limnophilus and flaviventris confirmed that these taxa form one species together with A. l. malygini. Our results suggest that the mountains of western Mongolia are inhabited by a new taxon of short‐tailed voles of the same rank as middendorffii, mongolicus and gromovi—A. m. alpinus ssp. n.     

Cryptic variation in mole voles Ellobius (Arvicolinae,Rodentia) of Mongolia

The mole vole subgenus Ellobius is currently considered to include three species: Ellobius talpinus (distributed from SE Europe and Turkmenistan through Kazakhstan to SW Siberia), Ellobius alaicus (S Tianshan, Pamir-Alay) and Ellobius tancrei (East and West Central Asia, from the Amu-Darya to Mongolia and N China). A study focusing on the genetic variation in Ellobius from Mongolia was conducted using one mitochondrial and three nuclear markers. Two divergent allopatric lineages endemic to East Central Asia were revealed. The first lineage occurs from Dzungaria eastwards to central Mongolia and represents E. tancrei sensu stricto. The second lineage is found in East Gobi only and corresponds to a taxon described as Ellobius orientalis, which has been traditionally treated as a subspecies of E. tancrei. However, molecular and chromosome data indicate that orientalis is related not to E. tancrei but to E. talpinus, which is separated from the former by a distribution gap of ~2,000 km. The taxonomic status of the East Gobi mole vole is ambiguous, and its genetic distance from E. talpinus s. str. falls into the range characteristic for closely related vole species or semi-species. According to molecular estimates, the two taxa have been isolated since the late Middle Pleistocene. A similar divergence is observed between the East and West Central Asian lineages of E. tancrei. E. alaicus is placed as sister to the latter rendering E. tancrei sensu lato paraphyletic. The revealed phylogeographic pattern implies that East Central Asia was colonized by mole voles through multiple eastward dispersal events.     

Allozyme variation in bank vole,Myodes glareolus (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Northern Anatolia

A total of 94 specimens from 16 populations of Myodes glareolus, collected between 2004 and 2007, from different altitudinal distributions were analyzed, using 16 enzyme systems. We found that 10 out of 22 loci (Idh-2, α-Gpdh, Me, Pgm, Pgd, Mdh-s, Ada, Est-1, Ldh-1, and Ldh-2) were polymorphic. Group 1 included population from altitudes ranging from 27 to 605 m above sea level (ASL), and Group 2 were from altitudes ranging from 1003 to 1288 m ASL. The summaries of the genetic parameters also displayed differences between the 2 groups. The possible reasons of such fragmentation between M. glareolus populations were discussed.     

Oxidative damage and antioxidant defense are assay and tissue‐dependent both in captive and wild‐caught bank voles (Myodes glareolus) before and after reproduction

Reproduction is costly and life‐history theory predicts that current parental investment will result in lower survival or decreased future reproduction. The physiological mechanisms mediating the link between reproduction and survival are still under debate and elevated oxidative damage during reproduction has been proposed as a plausible candidate. Previous studies of oxidative stress during reproduction in animals under natural conditions have been restricted to analyses of blood. Herein, we measured the level of oxidative damage to lipids (tiobarbituric‐acid‐reactive substances) and proteins (carbonyls) in the liver, kidneys, heart and skeletal muscles in free‐living bank vole females from spring and autumn generations, before and after reproduction. Antioxidant defense in the liver and kidneys was also determined. We expected oxidative damage to tissues and hypothesized that the damage would be more uniform between tissues in wild animals compared to those breeding under laboratory conditions. Considering all combinations of markers/tissues/generations, oxidative damage in females did not differ before and after reproduction in 12 comparisons, was lower after reproduction in three comparisons, and was higher after breeding in one comparison. The total glutathione was significantly increased after reproduction only in the liver of the autumn generation and there was no change in catalase activity. Our results confirm—for the first time in the field—previous observations from laboratory studies that there is no simple link between oxidative stress and reproduction and that patterns depend on the tissue and marker being studied. Overall, however, our study does not support the hypothesis that the cost of reproduction in bank voles is mediated by oxidative stress in these tissues.     

Noninvasive assessment of stress in bank voles (<Emphasis Type=Italic>Myodes glareolus</Emphasis>, Cricetidae,Rodentia) by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

ELISA with antibodies to corticosterone was used to evaluate the possibility of estimating the level of adrenocortical activity in male bank voles, Myodes glareolus (Rodentia, Cricetidae), by determining the concentration of immunoreactive steroids (IRS) in their feces. The binding curves of dilutions of the corticosterone standard and the extracts from dried feces were shown to be parallel. The corticosteroid response was evoked by ACTH injection, blood sampling, or immobilization. The response to ACTH injection was highly significant both in the blood in and fecal samples (a delayed response after 4 h), with daily variation in the IRS level being insignificant. In the case of blood sampling, the increased level of fecal IRS was recorded after 4 h and remained high after 8 h. Immobilization did not result in any significant increase in blood corticosterone or fecal IRS level. Individual baseline concentrations of fecal IRS levels were found to be highly repeatable between days. Thus, the antibodies to corticosterone used in this study (IZW, Berlin, Germany) proved effective for the assessment of stress by measuring fecal IRS in bank voles.     

The influence of environmental factors on the morphology of red‐backed voles Myodes gapperi (Rodentia,Arvicolinae) in Québec and western Labrador

Geographical patterns of morphological variation in small mammals are often associated with environmental factors. The southern red‐backed vole Myodes gapperi is a widespread and abundant small mammal in Canada, occurring in environments as diverse as mixed‐wood forests and taiga. First upper molars and skulls from nine populations of southern red‐backed voles distributed across three ecozones and approximately 10° of latitude were analysed by means of geometric morphometric techniques, and their relationships with environmental variables were examined. A weak, non‐linear trend of size increase towards higher latitudes was observed in voles' skulls. Environmental variables appeared to be important drivers of shape differentiation among populations from the three distinct ecozones analysed. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 112 , 204–218.