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Morphometrics study on the so called ‘Cape hare’(Lagomorpha:Leporidae:Lepus)in China

CHENG Cheng ,GE Deyan,XIA Lin,ZHOU Caiquan,YANG Qisen   

  1. China W est Normal University
  • Online:2012-11-22 Published:2012-11-20

中国“草兔” 头骨的形态计量学研究

程承 葛德燕 夏霖 周材权 杨奇森   

  1. 西华师范大学生命科学学院

Abstract: In this paper,validity of the so called ‘Cape hare’in China is studied by biometric methods,using 64 linear measurements of 147 specimens. The Chinese ‘Cape hare’and African Lepus capensis are significantly different in several neurocranial -shape - related measurements,for example,the greatest length of the cranium,the greatest breadth of mastoid, the breadth of occipital condyles and so on,which indicate L. capensis probably is not a valid name for the hares in China. There are two distinct populations of L. c. lehmanni from the north and the southwest of Xinjiang respectively, which might be recognized as two species. We approve the view of Hoffmann and Smith (2005)that the population from
north of Tianshan is supposed to be L. tolai,while the population from southwest of Tianshan may belong to L. tibetanus. The populations named as subspecies L. capensis huangshuiensis and L. c. centrasiaticus [assigned by Luo (1981)], however,show little differences with the populations of L. c. tolai from Inner Mongolia both in the present principal components analysis and discriminate analysis. These populations may be categorized as L. tolai. Hares from Huangshui Valley (L. c. huangshuiensis)and Central Asia (L. c. centrasiaticus)show insignificant differences with those of L. c. tolai from Inner Mongolia. These two ‘subspecies’could be assigned to L. tolai also. Hares from Yanbian,Jilin Province are also assumed to be L. tolai rather than L. coreanus due to insignificant variances with L. c. tolai.

Key words: Cape hare (Lepus capensis), Desert hare (L. tibetanus), Morphological analysis, Skull, Tolai hare (L.tolai)

摘要: 本文对我国俗称“草兔”的147 号标本,基于其头骨64 个性状的线性量度数据,运用生物统计学的方法进行了形态学分析。结果表明,我国“草兔”多数性状显著区别于非洲的草兔(Lepus capensis),因此,将其归为L. capensis 尚不能得到形态学方面的支持。罗泽珣(1981)所划分的原草兔西域亚种(L. capensis lehmanni)实际可能包含2 个形态各异的种,但因本文研究材料限制无法与蒙古兔、藏兔模式产地标本进行比较,暂且保留Hoffmann 和Smith (2005)的观点将其中天山以北的种群归入蒙古兔(L. tolai),而天山以南的新疆西南部种群归入藏兔(L. tibetanus)。此外,原草兔湟水河谷亚种(L. c. huangshuiensis)和中亚亚种(L. c. centrasiaticus)对应的种群与划为内蒙古亚种(L. c. tolai)的种群之间分化不明显,支持将这2 个“亚种”并入蒙古兔的观点。而吉林延边种群的头骨形态与蒙古兔也很相似,基于本文的形态研究结果,不支持将其归入高丽兔(L. coreanus)的观点。

关键词: 草兔, 蒙古兔, 藏兔, 头骨, 形态分析