Confucian Niviventer

distribution

Distribution: China, Thailand, Vietnam and Northeastern Myanmar (Kachin and Shan States).

Mammals of Myanmar: an annotated checklist

discussion

Discussion: Usually included in N. niviventer, but that allocation is not supported by present evidence (Abe, 1983; Corbet and Hill, 1992; Musser, 1981 b; Musser and Lunde, ms). Niviventer confucianus is basically endemic to SE portion of the Palearctic region east of the Himalayas and generally north of the Tropic of Cancer; south of that line, this northern species has been found only on mountaintops in NW Thailand and NW Vietnam. Sympatric with N. fulvescens and an undescribed larger-bodied species in N Burma, with N. fulvescens in S China, with and with N. andersoni and N. confucianus in highlands of Sichuan. Niviventer confucianus is replaced westward in the Himalayas by the smaller-bodied N. niviventer and in mountains south of the Tropic of Cancer by the larger-bodied and montane N. tenaster (Musser and Lunde, ms). In NW Vietnam, N. confucianus is found near summit of Mt Fan Si Pan with N. tenaster and N. fulvescens occuring at lower altitudes (Musser and Lunde, ms). Westward range boundary is unresolved. Dimensions of Chakraborty’s (1975) specimen of " Rattus niviventer niviventer " from W Bhutan are too large for N. niviventer, match those typical of N. confucianus, and ma

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

distribution

Distribution: N Burma and mainland China (from Yunnan and W Sichuan west to Fujian and north to Jilin Province; Wang, 2003, and Zhang et al., 1997); also mountains of NW Thailand (summit Doi Inthanon, Chiengmai Province) and extreme NW Vietnam (summit Mt Fan Si Pan west of the Red River); may also be found on summits of mountains in N Laos; not recorded from islands off coast of China. Because of past confusion of N. confucianus with N. tenaster, N. niviventer, and N. fulvescens, the range outlined here is derived primarily from Musser’s identification of specimens in AMNH, BMNH, FMNH, MCZ, MVZ, and USNM.

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae

discussion

COMMENTS: Wang and Zheng (1981) reported results from a systematic study under the name of Rattus niviventer, and described yushuensis as a subspecies. Zhang and Zhao (1984) proposed naoniuensis as a subspecies. Usually included in N. niviventer, but that allocation is not supported by present evidence (Abe, 1983; Musser, 1981 b). Geographic and elevational relationships between northern N. confucianus and southern N. fulvescens, especially in W and S China, needs to be resolved by careful taxonomic revision.

Order Rodentia - Family Muridae