Ochotona thomasi, Link, 1795

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Ochotonidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 28-43 : 32

7.

Thomas's Pika

Ochotona thomasi

French: Pika de Thomas / German: Thomas-Pfeifhase / Spanish: Pica de Thomas

Taxonomy. Ochotona thomasi Argyropulo, 1948,

“u3 ponunbl 03. AJIBIK-HOP Ha or oT OpuH-HOpa B CEBEPO-BOCTOYHOM Tubere” (= from valley of Alyk-nor Lake south of Orin-Nor in NE Tibet), Madoi County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai, China.

According to mtDNA, O. thomasi belongs to subgenus Ochotona . According to morphological study, it includes culiana. Monotypic.

Distribution. Patchily distributed in NE and E periphery of the Tibetan Plateau (Qilian, Burhan Budai, Amne Machin, and Bayan Har Mts) in Qinghai, Gansu, and NW Sichuan, China.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 120-170 mm, ear 15-23 mm, hindfoot 23-29 mm; weight 40-115 g. Thomas’s Pika is small-sized. Dorsal fur is brown or ocherous brown, mixed with lighter hair tips. Ventral fur is grayish, dull brown or ocherous. Throat and chest are darker. Winter fur is longer, softer, and grayer than during other seasons. Ears are small, rounded, gray inside at bases, and brown or rufous closer to edges with very narrow white margins or without them. General variation in pelage color of Thomas’s Pika widely overlaps with the Moupin Pika ( O. thibetana ), the Gansu Pika ( O. cansus ), and the Tsing-ling Pika ( O. syrinx ). Skull of Thomas’s Pika is small and very narrow, with widely confluent incisive and palatal foramens. Auditory bullae are small and connivent. Condylobasal lengths are 31-35 mm, skull widths are 13-16 mm, and skull heights are 10-11 mm. In general, Thomas’s Pika can be distinguished from all pika species by its elongated, narrow skull. It overlaps in skull shape with the southern race of the Gansu Pika (stevensi) but differs from it byits very flat skull.

Habitat. Alpine shrub mountain zone at elevations of 2800-4100 m. Thomas's Pika occurs in shrubby areas and does not penetrate subalpine meadows; it is a shrub dweller.

Food and Feeding. Thomas’s Pika feeds on green xeric plants.

Breeding. Young Thomas's Pikas are recorded in April-July, subadults in May-September.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but Thomas’s Pikas are diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Thomas's Pikas dig burrows with several entrances.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Yu Ning et al. (2000), Zheng Changlin (1989).

Figures

On following pages: 3. Tsing-ling Pika (Ochotona syrinx); 4. Gansu Pika (Ochotona cansus); 5. Nubra Pika (Ochotona nubrica); 6. Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae); 7. Thomas's Pika (Ochotona thomasi); 8. Alpine Pika (Ochotona alpina); 9. Turuchan Pika (Ochotona turuchanensis): 10. Northern Pika (Ochotona hyperborea); 11. Manchurian Pika (Ochotona mantchurica); 12. Hoffmann's Pika (Ochotona hoffmanni); 13. Korean Pika (Ochotona coreana), 14. Pallas's Pika (Ochotona pallasii).

Distribution. Patchily distributed in NE and E periphery of the Tibetan Plateau (Qilian, Burhan Budai, Amne Machin, and Bayan Har Mts) in Qinghai, Gansu, and NW Sichuan, China.