Dicrostonyx nunatakensis (Youngman 1967)
- Dataset
- Cricetidae
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Chordata
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Rodentia
- family
- Cricetidae
- genus
- Dicrostonyx
- species
- Dicrostonyx nunatakensis
activity
Activity patterns. The Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming is likely active, feeding day or night.
biology_ecology
Habitat. Rocky alpine habitat in only a few high-elevation sites in the Ogilvie Mountains. On Trappers Mountain and in the Seela Range, Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming is associated with dry heath (e. g. Arctous alpinus, Empetrum nigrum, Cassiope tetragona, and Vaccinium vitis-idaea, all Ericaceae, and Betula glandulosa, Betulaceae) habitat (1631 - 1709 m in elevation) with mountain avens (Dryas spp., Rosaceae), dwarf willow (Salix spp.), lichens (Thamnolia vermicularis, Icmadophilaceae and Flavocetraria nivalis, Parmeliaceae), and grasses (e. g. Anthoxanthum monticola, Poaceae) also present.
biology_ecology
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Only a few collected specimens of Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemmings have been old adults, suggesting low overwinter survivorship in a harsh environment with only a three-month growing season.
breeding
Breeding. The Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemmings probably breeds year-round, with gestation of c. 20 days and litters of c. 4 young.
conservation
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCNRed List. Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming is relatively widespread and faces few anthropogenic impacts.
description
Descriptive notes. Head — body 117 - 118 mm, tail length 11 - 12 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemmings have dark graybrown pelage above, with thin mid-dorsal stripe, yellowish red ear patches, and pinkish gray belly. They are described as paler than other nearby populations of Dicrostonyx.
discussion
Dicrostonyx nunatakensis is considered a subspecies of D. groenlandicus by some authorities, but a morphological study noted distinct differences in pelage color that led to recognition of D. nanatakensis as a distinct species. Dicrostonyx nunatakensis is thought to be an isolated Pleistocene relict that has been long separated on glacial nunataks in these mountains from other populations of Dicrostonyx. Additional systematic work on the D. groenlandicus complex is needed to fully understand species limits. Only 16 specimens are known from Trapper Mountain and Seela Range in the greater Ogilvie Mountains Range, but this region has received limited sampling. Monotypic.
distribution
Distribution. Ogilvie Mts, N Yukon, Canada.
food_feeding
Food and Feeding. The Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming probably eats plant leaves, flowers, buds, and roots.
Name
- Synonyms
- Dicrostonyx torquatus subsp. nunatakensis (Pallas 1778) Youngman 1967
- Homonyms
- Dicrostonyx nunatakensis (Youngman 1967)
- Common names
- Lemming de collar de Ogilvie in language.
- Lemming du Yukon in الفرنسية
- Ogilvie Collared Lemming in الانكليزية
- Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming in الانكليزية
- Ogilvie-Mountains-Halsbandlemming in الألمانية