The Zaisan mole vole (''Ellobius tancrei''), or eastern mole vole, is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

in the family

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, and h ...

. It is found in central Asia.

Description

The Zaisan mole vole is highly adapted to life underground. It grows to a head and body length of with a short tail long and weighs between . The coat is dense, soft and velvety. The face and the crown of the head are dark brown and the external ears are reduced to a fleshy ridge. The incisors are pure white, straight and long and project forward in front of the snout. The dorsal surface of the body varies in colour from sandy brown to dark greyish brown and the underparts vary from white to greyish brown. The tail is sandy brown and is tipped with a tuft of greyish-white hair. The hands and feet are broad, have small claws and are covered with white hairs.

Chromosomes

The karyotype is variable, with 2n = 32-54. The

Y chromosome The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes (allosomes) in therian mammals, including humans, and many other animals. The other is the X chromosome. Y is normally the sex-determining chromosome in many species, since it is the presence or abse ...

has been lost, similar to the case of '' E. lutescens''; however, unlike in ''E. lutescens'', both males and females have a pair of

X chromosome The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes (allosomes) in many organisms, including mammals (the other is the Y chromosome), and is found in both males and females. It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and XO sex ...

Distribution and habitat

The range of the Zaisan mole vole includes Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, southeastern Kazakhstan, northern

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

(China), northwestern, central and south-eastern Mongolia and

Tuva Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...

(Russia). Its typical habitat includes steppes, deserts and grasslands. It especially flourishes in moist valleys and near lakes and streams where the soil is deep.

Behaviour

The Zaisan mole vole lives in an extensive burrow system with horizontal passages about in diameter which are usually below the ground. Other passages lead to storage and nesting chambers at greater depths. These mole voles burrow using their incisors and upward movements of their head to push their way through loose soil. They are active at all times of day and night when underground but seldom emerge onto the surface during the day. At night, they forage over a wide area and feed largely on roots, bulbs and tubers. Reproduction takes place between April and September when six or seven litters may be produced at intervals of about 35 days. The gestation period is 26 days, with each litter consisting of three to seven offspring which remain in the nest until they are weaned at two months of age. By three months, they are sexually mature.

Status

The Zaisan mole vole has a wide range and a large total population. No particular threats to it have been recognised and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

References