Leporidae Author Don E. Wilson Author Thomas E. Lacher, Jr Author Russell A. Mittermeier text 2016 2016-07-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I 107 148 book chapter 68513 10.5281/zenodo.6625539 0a6d8930-783d-44bc-a461-7a9aaefaeff3 978-84-941892-3-4 6625539 42. Tolai Hare Lepus tolai French: Liévre tolai / German: Tolai-Hase / Spanish: Liebre tolai Taxonomy. Lepus tolai Pallas, 1778 , “Caeterum in montibus aprecis campisque rupestribus vel arenosis circa Selengam...” Restricted by S. I. Ognev in 1940 to “valley of the Selenga River,” Russia. Redefined byJ. R. Ellerman and T. C. S. Morrison-Scott in 1951 to “Adinscholo Mountain, near Tchinden [Chinden = Chindant], on Borsja [= Boriya] River, a tributary of the Onon River, Eastern Siberia.” In the past, L. tolai was included as a subspecies of L. capensis or L. europaeus . Formerly, L. tolai included L. tibetanus as a subspecies. Today, the separation between L. tolai and L. tibetanus on the species level are still questioned by taxonomists. Furthermore, no morphological characteristics have been found to separate the tolai-tibetanus-group from L. capensis . Lepus tolai also included przewalskii that is now considered a subspecies of L. oiostolus . An unclear situation exists in southern Iraq and south-western Iran. The subspecies cheybani occurs westward to ¢.55°-56° E, while L. capensis arabicus occurs eastward to south-eastern Iraq. Whether or not the two forms come into contact is unknown, but their distributions might be separated by that of L. europaeus connori in south-western Iran. A molecular analysis separated subspecies swinhoei as an independent species and assigned L. tibetanus centrasiaticus to L. tolai . The population of L. coreanus in Jilin Province, China, may belong to L. tolai . As taxonomists are still trying to clarify the species differentiation in Lepus , the subspecific taxonomy is not elaborated yet. The original descriptions of the subspecies are often not very helpful as they are mostly based on few exterior characteristics and small numbers of individuals. It has been shown that the variability is clinal in more careful investigations. Hence, the distinction in subspecies might be arbitrary and unreasonable. Seven subspecies recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. L.t.tolaiPallas,1778—InnerMongolia(=NeiMongol),andGansu(NCChina). L.t.buchariensisOgnev,1922—TajikistanandNEAfghanistan. L.t.cheybaniBaloutch,1978—SWIran(ZagrosMts). L.t.cinnamomeusShamel,1940—SWSichuan,andNYunnan(SCChina). L.t.filchneriMatschie,1908—Shaanxi(CChina). L.t.lehmanniSevertzov,1873—SKazakhstan,Turkmenistan,andextremeN&NEIran,EtoSSiberia,Mongolia,andXinjiang(NWChina). L. t. swinhoei Thomas, 1894 — from Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia S to Hebei, Beijing, Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Shandong (NE & E China). The Tolai Hare occurs in the steppes E of the Caspian Sea, S to NE & SW Iran, E through the Middle Asian republics to Afghanistan, and from Kazakhstan and S Siberia to Mongolia, S Russian Far East, NW, C & NE China; an isolated population lives in S Iraq and SW Iran. A single specimen in South Asia might extend the distribution of the Tolai Hare as far S as Jammu and Kashmir, N India. Descriptive notes. Head-body 400-590 mm, tail 72-110 mm, ear 80-120 mm, hindfoot 110-127 mm; weight 1.7-2.7 kg. Color of the Tolai Hare varies across its distribution. Dorsal fur is sandy yellow, pale brown, dusty yellow or sandy gray, mixed with dark brown and red stripes. Hips are grayish to ocherous, and ventral fur is pure white. Tail is wholly white below and on sides, with broad black or blackish brown stripe above. There are grayish white or ocherous eye rings extending back to bases of ears and forward toward mouth. Ear tips are black. Habitat. Grassland and forest meadows (never true forests), with tall grasses or shrubby areas for cover in China and semi-desert, mountain-steppe, forest steppe, and rocky habitat in Mongolia. The Tolai Hare is generally found at elevations of 600-900 m but ascends up to 4900 m in mountains. Forms are created using the front paws. Depths of forms are less during hot weather than when it is cold and windy. Food and Feeding. Diet of the Tolai Hare consists of grass, roots, and herbaceous vegetation. Individuals use fixed and restricted routes while foraging. Breeding. The Tolai Hare has 2-3 litters/year, with 2-6 young/litter. Females give birth in burrows. Activity patterns. The Tolai Hare is nocturnal. Forms are used for resting during daytime. Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Tolai Hare is listed as least concern on the Chinese and Mongolian red lists. It is widespread and occurs in many protected areas. Its overall population is large, and no major threats are known. Hunting for meat, skins, and traditional medicine has been noted as a threat in Mongolia. In southern Uzbekistan, records of fur harvests decreased from 8751 Tolai Hares in 1959 to 595 in 1977. Bibliography. Angermann (1983, 2016), Baloutch (1978), Cai Guiquan & Feng Zuojian (1982), Chakraborty, Bhattacharyya, Srinivasulu, Venkataraman, Goonatilake & Daniel (2005), Cheng Cheng etal. (2012), China Red List & Johnston (2008a), Clark et al. (2006), Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951), Hoffmann & Smith (2005), Karami et al. (2008), Lissovsky (2016), Ognev (1940, 1966), Smith (2008c), Sokolov et al. (2009).