Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status
Author
Jo, Yeong-Seok
Author
Baccus, John T.
Author
Koprowski, John L.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-11-19
4522
1
1
216
journal article
27944
10.11646/zootaxa.4522.1.1
58e0c7c5-75ec-4b1b-beb0-d01527f710f9
1175-5326
2610198
C24EFA8A-A5A0-4B06-A0A9-632F542B9529
Lutra lutra
(
Linnaeus, 1758
)
—Eurasian Otter
Mustela lutra
Linnaeus, 1758 p.45
;
Type
locality-
Uppsala
,
Sweden
.
Lutra lutra lutra
:
Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.380
;
Kuroda, 1938 p.24
;
Won, 1967 p.98
;
Won, 1968 p.303
;
Yoon, 1992 p.111
.
L. lutra
:
Won, 1958 p.437
;
Won, 1968 p.302
;
Han, 1994 p.46
;
Won & Smith, 1999 p.18
;
Oh, 2004a p.183
.
Range:
The distribution of
L. lutra
ranges over most of the Korean Peninsula and adjacent coastal islands with fresh water, except Jeju and Ulleung islands (
Jo
et al.
2017c
;
Fig. 42
). Although the first otter on Jeju Island was reported on
10 January 2018
, we did not include Eurasian otter habitat on Jeju Island. Since one female otter was road-killed at a gas station in an urban area without a natural aquatic system, we assumed that the female otter accidentally arrived on a fish truck at a nearby supermarket. The species inhabits some remote islands such as Heuksan Island and re-occurred on Tsushima Island (
50 km
from the Korean Peninsula)
Japan
in 2017 after its extirpation in the 1980s.
Remarks:
One subspecies,
L
.
l
.
lutra
, is thought to inhabit the Korean Peninsula (
Yoon 1992
).
Conservation status:
Both the South and North Korean governments designated
Lutra
lutra
as a Natural Monument. Also, the Ministry of Environment in
South Korea
recognized the Eurasian otter as an Endangered Species in 1998. Both the North and South Korean Red Data books list
L. lutra
as a ‘Vulnerable’ species (MAB
National Committee of DPR
Korea
2002
; NIBR 2012). CITES lists
L. lutra
on Appendix I.