Table of Contents: Volume 5 (2) 2006 (published 16 April 2007)

Enigmatic bilophodont molariform tooth from the Eocene of Central Russia Averianov A.O., Yarkov A.A. P. 55-57 A partial upper molariform tooth from the Upper(?) Eocene of Srednyaya Akhtuba, Volgograd Province, is described. The tooth is characterized by an incipient bilophodont structure with paracone and metacone placed extremely labially and almost without the labial cingulum. The tooth is compared with the members of mammalian orders Rodentia, Perissodactyla, Embrithopoda, Proboscidea, and Sirenia having the bilophodont dentition. It is most similar with the teeth of extinct sea cows of the family Dugongidae and may belong to this group. Details    Download PDF

First bat records in the Simien Mountains (Northern Ethiopia) Kruskop S.V., Lavrenchenko L.A. P. 59-62 No any bat records were known previously from the Simien Mountains National Park (Northern Ethiopia) while two bat species were reported from the Simien foothills. During the work of Ethiopian-Russian Biological Expedition two bat species were captured at the elevation of ca. 3250 m. Males of Pipistrellus from the “kuhlii” species group were captured or observed several times in anthropogenous landscapes. According to multivariate analysis these pipistrelles are similar to P. cf. kuhlii from southern part of the country and to P. hesperidus. One captured female of Laephotis wintoni represents most northern and highest elevation record of the genus. Details    Download PDF

The skull of Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (Jдger, 1839) (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from Irkutsk Province, Eastern Siberia Billia E.M.E. P. 63-71 The famous skull discovered in the Irkutsk Province (Eastern Siberia), previously attributed to “Rhinoceros Merckii” [=Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis] both by Chersky (1874) and by Brandt (1877), preserved in the collections of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science in St. Petersburg, is described. It represents one of the five skulls ascribed to this taxon discovered until now in Eurasia and the only one coming from the Russian territory. A brief history of the S. kirchbergensis and some notes on three other three skulls attributed to the same species are also included. Unlike the woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis and other Plio-Pleistocene rhinoceroses, which abound in the Eurasian continent, S. kirchbergensis seems to be rare on this wide territory. This is one of the two records of this species from Eastern Siberia, and one of the very few from Russia. Details    Download PDF

Maternal care in captive grey hamster Cricetulus migratorius (Rodentia, Cricetidae) Gromov V.G., Surov A.V., Ryurikov G.B. P. 73-77 In ten female grey hamsters, Cricetulus migratorius, rearing their first litters, both direct and indirect maternal activities were studied under laboratory conditions during the observation period (21 days from parturition) divided into four rearing stages: days 2–6, 7–11, 12–16, and 17–21, respectively. The maternal care was found to include nursing, huddling over, brooding and grooming the young, the nest construction and food caching. Total time spent in the nest by the females was found to decrease gradually during the whole observation period as well as other maternal activities with exception of pup grooming that has maximum rate during second rearing stage. Maternal behaviour of Cricetulus migratorius is discussed in comparison with that one of other cricetid rodents. Details    Download PDF

New form of rhizodont voles (Rodentia, Arvicolinae, Clethrionomyini) from Pleistocene of Central Altai (Russia) Serdyuk N.V., Tesakov A.S. P. 79-83 Lower beds of multi-layered Paleolithic site of the Ust’-Kan Cave yielded a heterogeneous material of small mammals containing a characteristic Early Pleistocene association. Along with molars of typical early Biharian forms, few remains of a very hypsodont clethrionomyine vole have been encountered. This form shows weakly differentiated enamel, high dentine tracts, lacks mimomyian characters, and has sparse cement. The combination of characters permits its interpretation as a late rhizodont stage of one of phyletic lineages of modern high mountain voles of the genus Alticola. It shows some similarities with the flat-sculled vole, A. strelzowi. The new form is described as a new genus and species, Altaiomys ustkanicus gen. & sp. nov. Details    Download PDF

Notes on mammals of the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve (Vietnam, Kon Tum Province) Abramov A.V., Rozhnov V.V., Morozov P.N. P. 85-92 Two biological surveys of the highly elevated area of Mount Ngoc Linh (the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve) have revealed 12 mammal species: Euroscaptor cf. klossi, Rhinolophus affinis, Harpiola isodon, Mus pahari, Chiropodomys gliroides, Niviventer fulvescens, Niviventer langbianis, Tamiops maritimus, Dremomys rufigenis, Crocidura attenuata, and two undetermined Crocidura species. A few further species, such as Ratufa bicolor, Capricornis milneedwardsii, Muntiacus cf. muntjac, Lamprogale lasiotis and Nomascus cf. gabriellae are reported from field observations. Details    Download PDF

The structure of voice signals of Siberian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus Laxmann 1769; Rodentia: Sciuridae) Lissovsky A.A., Obolenskaya E.V., Emelyanova L.G. P. 93-98 The vocalizations of Siberian chipmunks recorded under natural conditions were studied. Variation of time-and-frequency structure was described. The structure of studied Siberian chipmunks calls was different from the structure of American chipmunks calls, so as from the calls of specimens from introduced population of Siberian chipmunk in Freiburg (Germany). Details    Download PDF