LAGOMORPHA, Brandt, 1855

Pearch, Malcolm J., 2011, A review of the biological diversity and distribution of small mammal taxa in the terrestrial ecoregions and protected areas of Nepal 3072, Zootaxa 3072 (1), pp. 1-286 : 71-78

ORDER LAGOMORPHA

FAMILY OCHOTONIDAE

Ochotona curzoniae (Hodgson, 1858) MAP No. 54 Plateau pika

Black-lipped pika

Lagomys curzoniae Hodgson, 1858a: 207 . Chumbi District, Tibet. (See note 1).

Records.— Mitchell (1978b) (as O. daurica curzoniae ) (see note 2): Lho Chhoga (1).— Mitchell & Derksen (1976) (as O. d. curzoniae ): Lho Chhoga (2) (see notes 3,4).

Non-specific records.— Hoffmann & Smith (2005): E. Nepal (see note 5).— Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996): Nepal.

Note.— 1 Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951) state the type locality as "Chumbi Valley, in extreme south Tibet " whilst Hinton & Fry (1923) consider the type locality to be " Sikkim ". A manuscript note on Hodgson's 1858 publication in the Natural History Museum in London indicates that the accession number of the type specimen is BM.58.6.24.115.

2 Mitchell (1978b) provides notes on taxonomy and habitat and presents field observations.

3 Mitchell and Derksen (1976) believe this to be the first collection record of curzoniae from Nepal. 4 Mitchell & Derksen (1976) refer to five specimens collected at 29º19'N, 83º58'E whilst Mitchell (1978b) mentions five specimens secured at 29º17'N, 83º58'E. Map 54 shows the positions indicated by the two sets of co-ordinates but it would seem that both papers refer to the same five specimens.

5 Hoffmann & Smith (2005) state that curzoniae was treated formerly as a subspecies of O. dauurica but that the two forms "differ ... morphologically ..., chromosomally ..., electrophoretically ..., and in their mitochondrial DNA".

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

* Ochotona forresti Thomas, 1923

Forrest's pika

Ochotona forresti Thomas, 1923: 662 . North-western flank Likiang Range, 27ºN., 100º30'E., 13,000 ft., Yunnan, China.

Records.—None.

Non-specific records.—Johnsingh (in prep.): Nepal (see note).

Note.—A checklist of the mammals of south Asia, compiled by P. O. Nameer for inclusion in Johnsingh (in prep.), indicates the presence of O. forresti in Nepal but provides no supporting evidence. Based on an examination of the type specimen, Corbet (1978) considered forresti to be "a small race of O. roylei ". Nepal is not included in the distributional range of forresti by Hoffmann & Smith (2005) nor by I.U.C.N. (2008) and it is excluded here from the country's faunal list for want of substantive collection data. The species was considered distinct by Smith et al. (1990) ( Hoffmann & Smith, 2005).

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

* Ochotona himalayana Feng, 1973

Himalayan pika

Ochotona himalayana Feng, 1973: 69 , 73. Qu-xiang, Bo-qu Valley, Nei-la-mu [Nyalam] District, alt. 3,500 m. [Shigatse County, Tibet].

Records.—None.

Non-specific records.— Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996): " Nepal?".

Note.— Hoffmann & Smith (2005) state that published data ( Feng & Zheng, 1985; Feng et al., 1986) have suggested that the range of himalayana is "within that of ... O. roylei nepalensis " although this clearly had still to be evinced at the date of Hoffmann & Smith's publication. It is considered that O. himalayana should be excluded from an inventory of Nepal's known fauna until confirmatory evidence of the species' presence in that country is forthcoming.

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

Ochotona macrotis ( Günther, 1875) MAP No. 55 Large-eared pika

Lagomys macrotis Günther, 1875: 231 . Doba, central Tibet. See note 1a.

Ochotona wollastoni Thomas & Hinton, 1922: 184 . East [Mt.] Everest, 17,000 -17,500 ft. ( Nepal).

Records.— Abe (1982): Gosainkund (1).— Biswas & Khajuria (1957): Gokyo.—F.M.N.H. (as O. m. wollastoni ) (see note 2): Gosainkund Pass (1) (FMNH 142070); Lobujya (FMNH 142071).— Kawamichi (1971) (see note 3): Chukung; Dingboche; Gorak Shep; Lobuche (1); Periche.— Khajuria (1961): Gorashan (c. 5334 m.) (Khumbu District, Eastern Nepal) (see note 4) (as O. m.? macrotis ).— Mitchell (1978b) (as O. m. wollastoni ) (see note 5): Muktinath (1).—M.V.Z.: 3 miles S.W. of Makalu (MVZ 119402—MVZ 119404—all as O. m. wollastoni ).— R.O.M.: Muktinath (2) (ROM 74744—see note 2).

Non-specific records.— Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996): Nepal.—Mitchell (1975) (as O. m. wallastoni) (see note 2): Nepal.

Note.— 1a Hoffmann & Smith (2005) state that the type locality is neither "Duba ... N side Kuenlun ... on road ... via Kugiar" ( Blanford, 1879 —see note 1b), nor "Dobo, Quinghai" ( Vaurie, 1972) but "'Doba' [C. Tibet, (31ºN, 87ºE), China]" ( Ognev, 1940). Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951) give the type locality as "Doba, Kuenlun Mountains, extreme southern Chinese Turkestan ...".

1b Blanford's full sentence reads: "Dúba is a camping ground at an elevation of 10,440 feet on the north side of the Kuenlun, on the road from Yárkand to Yangi Diwán and the Kárákoram pass viâ Kugiár".

2 The specimens from Gosainkund Pass (FMNH 142070), Lobujya (FMNH 142071), and Muktinath (2) (ROM 74744) were collected by R. M. Mitchell.

3 Kawamichi (1971) presents useful data on the distinct zonal separation of O. macrotis and O. roylei , suggesting that in Nepal's Khumbu region, where the author observed the two species continuously from October, 1969 to January, 1970, macrotis is prevalent from 4,000 —5,630 m. (on glacial moraine above the tree line) and roylei from 2,800 —4,150 m. (below the tree line, where dense Rhododendron forest proliferates).

4 The locality "Gorashan" cannot be located, although Khajuria (1961) states that it is in "Khumbu District, Eastern Nepal in the vicinity of Cho-Oyu peak". The settlement is located probably in the Dudh Kosi River valley north of Thangboche as it was in this region that the Indian Cho-Oyu Expedition, which collected the single female specimen of O. macrotis amongst loose rocks in 1958, operated.

5 Mitchell (1978b) provides notes on taxonomy and habitat and presents field observations.

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

Ochotona nubrica Thomas, 1922 MAP No. 56 Nubra pika

Ochotona nubrica Thomas, 1922b: 187 . Tuggur, Nubra Valley, 10,000 ft., Ladak, Kashmir.

Ochotona lama Mitchell & Punzo, 1975: 420 . Lupra, Mustang District, Nepal.

Records. — Mitchell & Punzo (1975) (as O. lama sp.n —see note 1): Bathang, Mustang District (ROM 74739 [allotype of lama ]); Lupra, Mustang District (ROM 74738 [holotype of lama ]—see note 2).—R.O.M. (as O. lama ): Lupra (ROM 74737 [topotype of lama ]).

Non-specific records.— Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996): Nepal.

Note.— 1 lama is treated as a synonym of O. nubrica by Hoffmann & Smith (2005). 2 The R.O.M. catalogue lists the collection locality of the holotype of lama (ROM 74738) as "Thini, 5 k.m. E. of Jomosom" [28º46'N, 83º48'E]. Lupra is treated here as the type locality of the taxon, however, as this is the locality that appears in Mitchell & Punzo's published work (1975), where the holotype is described and discussed.

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

Ochotona roylei ( Ogilby, 1839) MAP No. 57

Royle's pika

Lagomys roylii Ogilby, 1839: 69 , Pl. 4. Choor Mountain, Lat. 30. Elev. 11,500 [ft.]. 60 miles north of Saharanpur, Punjab.

Lagomys nepalensis Hodgson, 1841d: 854 ; pl. Gosainthan [Gosainkund Mt.] ( Nepal). See note 1.

Ochotona wardi Bonhote, 1904: 13 . Talien (Tullian), Kashmir, 11,000 ft.

Ochotona angdawai Biswas and Khajuria, 1955: 26 . "Head of the Khumbu Glacier (ca. 18,000 ft.), west of the Mount Everest, Khumbu, Nepal ".

Ochotona mitchelli Agrawal & Chakraborty, 1971: 43 . Gosainkund (c. 4,750 m.), Nawakot District, Nepal.

Records.— Abe (1982): Ghora Tabela; Gosainkund (1); Syng Gomba, Thare Pati.— Agrawal & Chakraborty (1971) (all as O. mitchelli — see note 2): Gosainkund (2); Pangboche (5) (Khumbu District).— Biswas & Khajuria (1955) (as O. angdawai n. sp): Khumbu Glacier (head of the).— Daniel & Hanzák (1985): Barun Valley (as O. r. roylei ).— F.M.N.H. (all as O. r. nipalensis — see note 3): Dhobann, 6 miles N.E. of Those (FMNH 94087); Dhobann, 8 miles N.E. of Those (FMNH 94088); Gosenkunde (FMNH 104180—FMNH 104183); Khumjung (1) (FMNH 142073— FMNH 142075); Num (near) (3) (FMNH 114631, FMNH 114632); Num (near) (5) (FMNH 114633, FMNH 114634); Phulung Ghyang (3) (FMNH 57767, FMNH 57785—FMNH 57789, FMNH 104176); Sottidanda (FMNH 82824 and FMNH 82825); Uring Ghyang (see note 4) (FMNH 142072).— Fry (1925): Apoon Hill; Apoon Sottidanda; Barpak; Satthar (all as O. r. nepalensis Thomas —see note 5).— Green (1981): Langtang N. P. (7) (as O. r. roylei ).— Gregori & Petrov (1976): "Mt. Makulu base camp" (as O. r. roylei ).— Gruber (1969) (as O. r. roylei ): Khumbu Himal (Sagamartha N. P.).— Hinton & Fry (1923): Pattibhagan (as O. r. nipalensis Hodgson [1841] —see note 3).— Kawamichi (1968) (see note 6): Gosainkund (1); Gosainkund (between Dhunche and); Gosainkund (between Thare Pati and); Drandi Khola (upper course of).— Kawamichi (1971) (see note 7): Dewche; Khumjung (1).— Mitchell (1978b) (as O. r. roylei , except where stated) (see note 8): Gosainkund Pass (2) (as O. mitchelli ); Langtang Valley (1); Lobuche (2) (as O. angdawai ); Namsangsang (1).—M.V.Z.: Barun River Valley (MVZ 119401—see note 9).—P.S.M.: Phulung Ghyang (4) (PSM 14769—PSM 14772, PSM 15547—PSM 15549, PSM 16345).—R.O.M.: Dhukphu (ROM 74721); Gosainkund Lakes (ROM 74659); Khumjung (ROM 74672); Maharigaon (2) (ROM 74697); Thare Pati, Uring Ghyang (ROM 74657).— Worth & Shah (1969): Langtang Valley (2).

Non-specific records.— Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996): Nepal.—Mitchell (1975) (as O. angdawai , O. r. roylei , and O. r. wardi Bonhote, 1904 ): Nepal.— Thomas & Hinton (1922) (as O. r. nepalensis ): Nepal.

Note.— 1 Hodgson's actual description of the Gosainthan type locality, where the two specimens of L. nepalensis were obtained by Hodgson's hunters, is "the margin of the sacred lake whence the Trisul Ganga River issues". There are numerous lakes in the vicinity of Mt. Gosainkund, which is about 40 km. north of Kathmandu, but Hodsgon would have been referring to one on the western side of the mountain as he considered that not a "single streamlet of the Trisúl arise[s] east of the peak of Gosain-thán" ( Hodgson, 1849a: 766). The location of the "sacred lake", itself, cannot be determined, but its likely position would be in the region of the two tributaries of the Trisuli R. that rise on the south-western side of Mt. Gosainkund, at approximately 28º03'N, 85º24'E.

2 Agrawal & Chakraborty (1971) give measurements of the holotype of mitchelli together with a description of the specimen.

3 Hodgson (1842: 915) refers to Lagomys nipalensis rather than L. nepalensis , the latter antedating the former by reason of its earlier description (see Hodgson, 1841d: 854). Hodgson (1842) indicates that there was one species of Lagomys in Nepal (at that time) and the spelling nipalensis , therefore, is deemed simply to be an error. As Hodgson gives no information on nipalensis , other than the briefest indication of its distribution, it is considered that the taxon could be regarded justifiably as a nomen nudum .

4 Uring Ghyang is not marked on maps of Nepal. Lewis (1970) writes of the locality that it "is known as Tarde Pati [Thare Pati] Ridge; consists of several cow huts on the ridge 6 to 8 miles south-west of Melumchi".

5 Fry (1925) cites Thomas as the species authority of nepalensis , contrary to the accepted citation of Hodgson, 1841 (see Hoffmann & Smith, 2005: 192). The only other species occurring in Nepal of which Thomas is the accepted authority is O. nubrica but nepalensis is not regarded as synonymous therewith (see Hoffmann & Smith, 2005: 191).

6 Kawamichi (1968) does not provide details of the location "Drandi Khola" other than stating that his observation station was on a "southern slope without snow cover [on] grassy ground used for grazing in rhodendron forest [on] the upper course of Drandi Khola, northern valley of Gurkha". The upper course of the Drandi Khola [= the Darondi River] could be described as extending from 28º11'N to 28º18'N and the mid-point (28º15'N) has been selected in the Gazetteer for the approximate location of the observation station. The author describes the vegetation of the other observation sites as follows: "rhododendron and alpine scrub, above coniferous forests" (Gosainkund); "grassy ground used for grazing" (between Dhunche and Gosainkund); and "juniper-rhododendron forest, below timber line" (between Thare Pati and Gosainkund).

7 See note 3 to Ochotona macrotis (p. 73) concerning Kawamichi's observations on the zonal separation of O. macrotis and O. roylei .

8 Mitchell (1978b) provides notes on taxonomy and habitat and presents field observations of O. r. roylei . He lists further specimens of roylei from Dhukphu, Gosainkund Lakes, Kumjung, Maharigaon, Phulung Gyang, and Thare Pati but these specimens are included in the collections either of F.M.N.H. or of R.O.M. listed above under "Records". The co-ordinates Mitchell gives for the collection locality of Lobuche are 27º57'N, 87º50'E. As the approximate co-ordinates of Lobuche are 27º57'N, 86º50'E, it is assumed that Mitchell's longitude is simply a typographical error.

9 A note to the co-ordinates given in the M.V.Z. catalogue for "Barun River Valley" states: "Unable to find valley, so georeferenced entire river". The co-ordinates, however, do indicate a position on the southern side of the Barun R. valley, the locality lying about 20 km. N.W. of Num at approximately the same elevation as stated in the catalogue (3,840 m.).

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

FAMILY LEPORIDAE

Caprolagus hispidus ( Pearson, 1839) MAP No. 58 Hispid hare

Assam rabbit

Lepus hispidus Pearson [in M'Clelland, 1839]: 152. "... Assam, ... base of the Boutan [ Bhutan] mountains" ( India).

Records.— Bell (1986): Royal Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve (see note 1).— Oliver (1985) (see note 2): Royal Bardia Wildlife Reserve (see note 3); Royal Chitawan National Park (see note 4); Royal Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve (see note 5).

Non-specific records.— Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996): Nepal.—Mitchell (1975): Nepal.

Note.— 1 Bell (1986) does not indicate the exact positions within Royal Sukla Phanta W. R. at which she secured seven specimens (4♂, 3♀) of C. hispidus , which were collected "along narrow strips of tall, marshy, riverine grassland bordering small streams" ( Bell, 1986). The black dot shown on map 58 represents the central point of the Wildlife Reserve, the totality of which lies within Global 200 Ecoregion No. 91 (Terai-Duar Savanna and Grasslands).

2 Oliver (1985) bases his records on the analysis of “highly diagnostic faecal pellets”, which, he asserts, are those of C. hispidus .

3 The single white dot (numbered 1) shown on map 58 represents nine localities situated adjacent to watercourses and lying within the western half of Royal Bardia W. R. The locality record is not included in Table 6 as no actual specimen of C. hispidus was collected. See note 2, above.

4 The single white dot (numbered 2) shown on map 58 represents 21 localities lying within a 40 km. long and seven km. wide, east-west corridor adjacent to the Rapti R., which forms the northern boundary of Royal Chitwan N. P. The area comprises tall grassland and riverain forest ( Oliver, 1985). The locality record is not included in Table 6 as no actual specimen of C. hispidus was collected. See note 2, above.

5 The single white dot (numbered 4) shown on Map No. 58 represents five localities lying within the southern half of Royal Sukla Phanta W. R. Each of the localities was situated in an area of tall grass and mixed forest ( Oliver, 1985). The locality record is not included in Table 6 as no actual specimen of C. hispidus was collected. See note 2, above.

I.U.C.N. status.—Endangered B2ab(ii,iii,v) (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

Lepus nigricollis F. Cuvier, 1823 MAP No. 59 Indian hare

Black-naped hare

Lepus nigricollis F. Cuvier, 1823: 307 . "Malabar" [Madras] ( India).

Lepus ruficaudatus I. Geoffroy, 1826: 381 . Bengal.

Lepus indicus Hodgson [1838 ?]. (See note 1).

Lepus macrotus Hodgson, 1840: 1183 . "Gangetic plains and sub-Hemalayas".

Lepus aryabertensis Hodgson, 1844b: 293 . Madhyades, Nepal. [ Nomen nudum ]. (See note 2).

Records.— Bell (1986): Pipariya, Royal Suklaphanta W. R. (as L. n. ruficaudatus ).—F.M.N.H. (all as L. n. ruficaudatus ): 1 mile W. of Hitaura (FMNH 104169, FMNH 104170); 2 miles W. of Hitaura (FMNH 57613, FMNH 57670); 4 miles S.E. of Trisuli (FMNH 104172); Bhaderi (FMNH 94086); Bahwanipur (FMNH 105539); Hitaura (1) (FMNH 104171); Madhuban (1) (FMNH 112546); Tamaspur (1) (FMNH 112556).— Fry (1925) (as L. ruficaudatus ): Boitari; Bouzini; Deorali (1); Sipuri; Syartang (see note 3).— Hinton & Fry (1923) (as L. ruficaudatus ) (see note 4): Bairia; Bankalwa; Bouzini; Kakani (2); Nagarkot (2); Thankot.—N.M.N.H. (see note 5): Mangalbare (USNM 290068—see note 6).—P.S.M.: 0.5 miles W. of Hitaura (PSM 16625); Hitaura (1) (PSM 14745).— Oliver (1985) (see note 7): Royal Bardia Wildlife Reserve; Royal Chitawan National Park; Royal Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve.

Non-specific records.— Hodgson (1834): Nepal.— Hodgson (1842) (as L. macrotus ): " Tarai and all three regions of the hills".—Mitchell (1975) (as L. n. ruficaudatus ): Nepal.

Note.— 1 Hodgson (1840) states that he referred to Lepus macrotus first as Lepus indicus in his "Catalogue of Mammals", which, he indicates, was published in the Transactions of the Linnean Society. Gray (1847a) corroborates Hodgson's statement by his reference to " Lepus indicus, Hodgs. Linn. Trans ". The only Catalogue that Hodgson published between his first reference to the taxon (as " Lepus n. s." (see Hodgson, 1834: 97 and Gray, 1847a: 20)) and his formal description of Lepus macrotus ( Hodgson, 1840) was in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History ( Hodgson, 1838), in which a catalogue of Nepalese mammals prepared by Hodgson appears as part of the "Proceedings of Learned Societies: Linnaean Society". The catalogue, however, makes no mention of Lepus indicus nor is there any apparent reference to the taxon in the Transactions of the Linnean Society of London between the years 1837 and 1841.

2 "Madyades" refers to that area of (southern) Nepal situated on the Gangetic Plain ( Burghart, 1984). Owing to the absence of an exact collection site, the locality is not plotted on map 59.

3 Fry (1925) states that the specimen from Syartang is a (male) juvenile. The position of Syartang cannot be identified but the locality lies in one of the districts west of Kathmandu ( Fry, 1925).

4 Hinton & Fry (1923) state that the species is "common near the bank of the Soonsori [= Sunseri] River".

5 Johnson et al. (1980) refer to a specimen (USNM 290067) of L. ruficaudatus ruficaudatus I. Geoffroy, 1826 (the taxon having since been synonymised with L. nigricollis ) collected at Kauriala Ghat ( India). The catalogue of the collections of N.M.N.H. identifies the precise locality of the same specimen as Chatra (eastern Nepal). The Chatra record is excluded here for want of certainty.

6 Johnson et al. (1980) refer to a specimen of Lepus grahami Howell, 1928 (now L. oiostolus Hodgson, 1840 ) collected at Mangalbare. The specimen is recorded in the collections of N.M.N.H. as catalogue no. USNM 290068 and identified therein as L. nigricollis ruficaudatus . It is assumed that the information in the published paper of Johnson et al. (1980) takes precedence over the identification accorded the specimen in the N.M.N.H. catalogue and the Mangalbare locality is not included on map 59 ( L. nigricollis ), therefore, but on map 60 ( L. oiostolus ). Johnson et al. (1980), however, signal their reservations about the accuracy of the identification accorded the specimen—see the caveat to L. oiostolus (p. 78).

7 Oliver (1985) bases his records on the analysis of faecal pellets of L. nigricollis and Caprolagus hispidus . The author asserts that: “ Lepus [ nigricollis ] … is everywhere sympatric with Caprolagus over the latter species’ more limited range”. The Bardia, Chitawan, and Sukla Phanta localities are not included in Table 6 as no actual specimen of L. nigricollis was collected. The Royal Sukla Phanta W. R. does find representation in the species' distribution, however, on account of the collection of two adult L. nigricollis at the Reserve's elephant camp at Pipariya ( Bell, 1986 —see "Records", above).

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.

Lepus oiostolus Hodgson, 1840 MAP No. 60

Woolly hare

Lepus oiostolus Hodgson, 1840: 1186 . "the snowy region of the Hemalaya, and perhaps also Tibet ". [Restricted to "Southern Tibet " by Kao & Feng, 1964].

Lepus oemodias Gray, 1847a: 21 . "... Snowy region of the Himalaya, and perhaps also Thibet". (See note 1).

Lepus grahami Howell, 1928: 143 . Ulongkong, about 10 miles south of Tatsienlu, about 1,000 ft., Szechuan, China.

Records.—F.M.N.H. (as L. o. oiostolus ): Ghilinggaon (FMNH 142077); Lho Mustang (FMNH 142076—see note 2).

Non-specific records (see note 3).— Gray & Gray (1846): "... the Kachar".— Hinton & Fry (1923): "Northern region of Nepal and Tibet" (see note 4).— Hoffmann & Smith (2005): "Tibetan Plateau, from Ladak to Sikkim ( India) Nepal, ..."— Johnson et al. (1980) (as Lepus grahami Howell, 1928 ): Mangalbare (see Caveat, below).— Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996): Nepal.— Hodgson (1842): Northern hilly region (of Nepal) and Tibet.— Mitchell (1975) (as L. o. oiostolus ): Nepal.

Note.— 1 Hodgson (1840) states that he made a first reference to L. oemodias in his Catalogue of Mammals published in the Transactions of the Linnean Society (1838) but the Catalogue has not lent itself readily to identification. See note 1 to Lepus nigricollis , (p. 77).

2 The catalogue of the F.M.N.H. records the collection locality of FMNH 142076, the specimen having been secured by R. M. Mitchell, as “Lho Mantang” but the co-ordinates and elevation given agree with previous collections made by Mr. Mitchell from Lho Mustang (see, for example, Sorex minutus (ROM 74752 and ROM 74760)). The error is likely to be typographical only.

3 Hoffmann & Smith (2005) include Nepal within the distributional range of the species but without detail. Gray & Gray (1846) refer to "A specimen from the Kachar"—"the Kachar" cannot be defined precisely (but see note 2 to Marmota himalayana , below (p. 101)), although Blanford (1875b), referring to Marmota himalayana ( Hodgson, 1841c) , restricts the range of the latter species to "the Kachar of Nepal ". As the title of Gray & Gray's publication is "Catalogue of the specimens and drawings of Mammalia and Birds of Nepal and Thibet presented by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., to the British Museum" and as Gray & Gray refer to Lepus oiostolus (as L. oemodias in Gray & Gray, 1846) as "Inhab. Snowy region of the Himalaya, and perhaps also Thibet", it may be inferred that the "specimen from the Kachar" was collected in Nepal.

4 Hinton & Fry (1923) cite Hodgson (1841) (= Hodgson, 1842).

Caveat.— Johnson et al. (1980) record Lepus grahami (now an accepted synonym of L. oistolus ( Hoffmann & Smith, 2005: 201)) from Mangalbare but describe the specimen as "a woolly-coated juvenile hare [that] is too young for positive identification" (see note 6 to L. nigricollis , p. 77).

I.U.C.N. status.—Least concern (ver. 3.1, 2001)

Year of assessment: 2008.