\u3ci\u3eHypsugo stubbei\u3c/i\u3e sp. nov., A Novel Cryptic Bat Species of the Genus \u3ci\u3eHypsugo\u3c/i\u3e (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera, Mammalia) from Mongolia

The occurrence of two members of the genus Hypsugo, namely H. alaschanicus and H. savii caucasicus, have been reported for Mongolia in the literature. Due to various taxonomic reassignments within and between genera, the number of records for the genus Hypsugo in Mongolia is quite scarce and sometimes not resolved at species or subspecies level. Despite recognition of the two above-mentioned species, recent reports based on genetic analyses describe only new and further records of H. alaschanicus. Thus, it exists a large uncertainty regarding the occurrence and distribution of H. savii caucasicus in Mongolia. Here, our efforts in gaining a deeper understanding towards the occurrence and distribution of Hypsugo species in Mongolia are described. A combination of genetic and morphological analyses of collected material from Hypsugo specimens revealed the existence of a genetically largely distant Hypsugo clade. Therefore, a new and cryptic Hypsugo species is proposed which is named after Prof. Dr. Michael Stubbe for his continuous, long-standing and significant contributions into the biological exploration of Mongolia. Hypsugo stubbei sp. nov. differs by at least 8.4 % and 9 % to the closest Western Palearctic distributed H. cf. darwinii and H. savii as well as at least 11.3 % to the Easter Palearctic (including Mongolia) distributed H. alaschanicus based on the first 798 nucleotides of the gene encoding the mitochondrial ND1 (subunit one of NADH dehydrogenase). Neither a close proximity species based on the gene encoding the mitochondrial COI (cytochrome oxidase subunit one) could be found in publicly accessible nucleotide databases. While the cryptic H. stubbei sp. nov. reveals no obvious cranial and morphological differences, few external characteristics are dissimilar to both H. alaschanicus and H. savii (caucasicus). Currently, Hypsugo stubbei sp. nov. was found at four different locations in Mongolia. Among the 11 specimens captured, six facilitated a genetic assignment. Based on the current scarce data records, the species seems to occur mainly in the far west of Mongolia inhabiting semi-deserts and steppes up to high mountain areas. An overlapping distribution with H. alaschanicus cannot be excluded based on the limited data currently available

Assessment of Non-Metric Skull Characters and Age Determination in the Asiatic Wild Ass \u3ci\u3eEquus hemionus\u3c/i\u3e: A Methodological Approach

The report presents the first information on the use of non-metric skull characters and age determination by tooth section for Asiatic wild asses. It was initiated by a collection of more than 400 skulls of the Asiatic wild ass from the Bordzongijn-Gobi 2002-2004. The methodological overview gives a first research prospect in Asiatic Wild Ass concerning the use of non-metric skull characters as a morphological tool for assessing genetic variability, determining epigenetic divergences and evaluating fluctuating asymmetry. The time course of tooth eruption and replacement in the Asiatic wild ass is described with regard to its use for age determination. To determine the age in years of the older asses tooth sections are made with a low-speed precision saw that reveal annual lines in the tooth cementum

Assessment of Non-Metric Skull Characters and Age Determination in the Asiatic Wild Ass \u3ci\u3eEquus hemionus\u3c/i\u3e: A Methodological Approach

The report presents the first information on the use of non-metric skull characters and age determination by tooth section for Asiatic wild asses. It was initiated by a collection of more than 400 skulls of the Asiatic wild ass from the Bordzongijn-Gobi 2002-2004. The methodological overview gives a first research prospect in Asiatic Wild Ass concerning the use of non-metric skull characters as a morphological tool for assessing genetic variability, determining epigenetic divergences and evaluating fluctuating asymmetry. The time course of tooth eruption and replacement in the Asiatic wild ass is described with regard to its use for age determination. To determine the age in years of the older asses tooth sections are made with a low-speed precision saw that reveal annual lines in the tooth cementum

Comparative Demography and Dietary Resource Partitioning of Two Wild Ranging Asiatic Equid Populations

Tooth wear signatures allow inference on the dietary traits of herbivorous ungulates. Comparing dietary regimes of taxonomically closely related populations further allows inference on habitat structure and food availability. The mesowear method of tooth wear evaluation has opened up a pathway to reconstruct subtle differences in dietary behavior and resource partitioning based on skeletal material as the only source of information. Eighty cheek dentitions of Asian wild asses (Equus hemionus) from the Southern Gobi (Mongolia) and 61 dentitions of African free ranging donkeys (Equus asinus) from the Emirate Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) were investigated for their mesowear signatures. It is tested if sexes and age classes of individuals are different in their mesowear signatures. Cluster analyses and principal components analyses are applied in order to test hypotheses using 27 ungulate species with known diets as a reference. The wild asses from the Gobi are found to classify as typical grazers within this spectrum and have a more abrasion-dominated signature then the donkey population from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The diet available to the latter population is thus considered to be more heterogeneous. This indicates that the donkey habitat in the UAE is a more diverse mosaic of feeding resources compared to the wild ass habitat of the Mongolian desert. In both populations there are more intraspecific differences in the diet between sexes then there are interspecific differences between the two African zebra species E. burchelii and E. grevyi. The dietary signal is further interpreted as to reflect the social structure of the animals as associated with specific environmental conditions. Between the two sexes of Asian wild asses and UAE donkeys, one would expect a more pronounced segregation in the diet when male territories are small and poor in resources at the same time. This condition would best characterise the habitat inhabited by the UAE donkey population. The data suggest that the male territories of this population are comparatively small and thus provide highly abrasive forage only

Comparative Demography and Dietary Resource Partitioning of Two Wild Ranging Asiatic Equid Populations

Tooth wear signatures allow inference on the dietary traits of herbivorous ungulates. Comparing dietary regimes of taxonomically closely related populations further allows inference on habitat structure and food availability. The mesowear method of tooth wear evaluation has opened up a pathway to reconstruct subtle differences in dietary behavior and resource partitioning based on skeletal material as the only source of information. Eighty cheek dentitions of Asian wild asses (Equus hemionus) from the Southern Gobi (Mongolia) and 61 dentitions of African free ranging donkeys (Equus asinus) from the Emirate Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) were investigated for their mesowear signatures. It is tested if sexes and age classes of individuals are different in their mesowear signatures. Cluster analyses and principal components analyses are applied in order to test hypotheses using 27 ungulate species with known diets as a reference. The wild asses from the Gobi are found to classify as typical grazers within this spectrum and have a more abrasion-dominated signature then the donkey population from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The diet available to the latter population is thus considered to be more heterogeneous. This indicates that the donkey habitat in the UAE is a more diverse mosaic of feeding resources compared to the wild ass habitat of the Mongolian desert. In both populations there are more intraspecific differences in the diet between sexes then there are interspecific differences between the two African zebra species E. burchelii and E. grevyi. The dietary signal is further interpreted as to reflect the social structure of the animals as associated with specific environmental conditions. Between the two sexes of Asian wild asses and UAE donkeys, one would expect a more pronounced segregation in the diet when male territories are small and poor in resources at the same time. This condition would best characterise the habitat inhabited by the UAE donkey population. The data suggest that the male territories of this population are comparatively small and thus provide highly abrasive forage only

Contributions to the Mammalogy of Mongolia, with a Checklist of Species for the Country

We present accounts for 40 species of mammals collected from 15 localities in the Mongolian People\u27s Republic. Accounts include taxonomic, morphometric, reproductive and ecological information, as well as trap effort and success. In addition, we include a brief history of mammalogical work within Mongolia, a taxonomically updated species list for the country, and a list of institutions with holdings of Mongolian mammals

First Report of the Herb Field Mouse , \u3ci\u3eApodemus uralensis\u3c/i\u3e (Pallas, 1811) from Mongolia

The herb fi eld mouse, Apodemus uralensis (Pallas, 1811) is recorded for the fi rst time in Mongolia, from western part of the Mongolian Altai and the adjacent Mongolian part of the Dzungarian Gobi. In addition, we discovered several additional fi ndings of this species recorded as early as 1976 from diff erent scientifi c collections. Body and skull measurements are presented along with a molecular genetic analysis of one specimen

Selten in der Mongolei nachgewiesene Fledermausarten

In der Mongolei sind gegenwärtig 20 verschiedene Fledermausarten aus sieben Gattungen nachgewiesen worden. Hierbei handelt es sich um sieben Arten Myotis, vier Arten Plecotus, drei Arten Eptesicus, zwei Arten Vespertilio, zwei Arten Hypsugo und je eine Art der Gattungen Nyctalus und Murina. Von den bisher bekannten Species konnten 11 nur selten und zwei von ihnen nur einmal gefunden worden. Bis auf die Arten der Gattung Plecotus und Hypsugo, die in getrennten Publikationen in diesem Heft behandelt werden (DOLCH et al. 2021a, 2021b), sind nachfolgend diese seltenen Funde zusammengestellt. Die Grundlage für die Häufigkeitseinschätzung bilden über 2000 Fledermausfänge an über 100 Fangplätzen der Feldexpeditionen „Chiroptera Mongolia“ (seit 1999) und der Mongolisch-Deutschen Biologischen Expeditionen, die seit 1962 unter der Leitung von Michael Stubbe in unterschiedlicher Zusammensetzung durchgeführt wurden

Towards a national mapped classification of terrestrial ecosystems in Mongolia: a pilot study in the Gobi Desert region

Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.In Mongolia, partners from national and aimag governments, academia and NGOs have developed regional conservation plans that balance the government commitment to protection of natural habitats with planned development of mineral resources and related infrastructure. A key input is a mapped classification of major habitat types, or ecosystems, to represent the range of natural habitats and function as a surrogate for biodiversity. We developed a GIS model to map ecosystems across the Mongolian Gobi Desert region by comparing the distribution of plant communities and major vegetation types, taken from field surveys and national maps, with patterns of above-ground biomass, elevation, climate and topography derived from remote sensing. The resulting mapped classification is organized as a hierarchy of 1) biogeographic regions, 2) terrestrial ecosystem types based on vegetation, elevation and geomorphology, and 3) landforms. This provides a first-iteration map to support landscape-level conservation planning and a model framework that can support field surveys and future model revisions, with other applications to land use planning, research, surveys and monitoring. To facilitate that, the GIS results are publicly available either for download or to view and query in a web-based GIS available at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/DevByDesign-Web/MappingAppsVer2/Gobi/index.htm