Mustela altaica Pallas, 1811

Jo, Yeong-Seok, Baccus, John T. & Koprowski, John L., 2018, Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zootaxa 4522 (1), pp. 1-216 : 79

Mustela altaica Pallas, 1811 —Mountain Weasel

Mustela altaica Pallas, 1811 p.98 ; Type locality- Altai mountain; Heptner et al., 1967 p.1042; Nowak, 1999 p.705; Han, 1994 p.46; Won & Smith, 1999 p.19.

Kolonocus alpinus raddei: Ognev, 1931 p.734 (p. 554 in English translated edition).

M. altaica raddei: Corbet, 1978 p.169 (probably Manchuria and Korea).

Range: Despite no collection of specimens from Korea, it is highly conceivable that M. altaica inhabits at least extreme northeastern Korea based on collections of the species at the border between China, Russia, and North Korea ( Won & Smith 1999). The most likely location for the presence of M. altaica in Korea would be Hamgyeongbuk Province, nearby to collection sites of the species in China and Russia ( Fig. 50 ). Although the IUCN distribution map of M. altaica includes the Korean Peninsula, Abramov et al. (2008) regarded that the inclusion of North Korea within the geographic range as needing confirmation.

Remarks: Since Ognev (1928) suggested the occurrence of M. altaica in Korea, this species gained a place on the list of mammals of Korea. The quasi absence of mammalian faunal surveys in North Korea together with the confusion of M. altaica with M. sibirica , have hampered the assessment of the distribution of the species in Korea.

Conservation status: Not considered at risk by Korean institutions.

Figures

FIGURE 50. Range map of Mustela altaica in Korea.