Bazhenov Yu.A., Pavlenko M.V.
В журнале Biology Bulletin
Год: 2025 Том: 52 ArticleID: 349
Original data on the dates of rutting, the birth of pups, the dispersal of the young, and the brood size of zokors, Myospalax aspalax and M. armandii in Transbaikalia and M. psilurus in both Transbaikalia and Primorskii krai, are presented. The available literature data on the reproduction of the members of the subfamily Myospalacinae from China, Russia, and Kazakhstan are analyzed and compared with data on the Myospalacinae from eastern Russia. The lowest fertility is shown to be characteristic of M. armandii in Transbaikalia and a generally low fertility of all species from eastern Russia in comparison with M. myospalax distributed in western Siberia. Many features such as a small brood size (from 1.75 in M. armandii to 4.67 in M. myospalax in Kazakhstan), the seasonal spring reproduction once a year, a solitary lifestyle even during rutting, long duration of the breeding season and of the dispersal of the young, and the predominance of females among adults are characteristic of all study species of both genera of the family, Myospalax and Eospalax. Keywords: zokors, Myospalax aspalax, Myospalax armandii, Myospalax psilurus, breeding, Transbaikalia, Primorskii krai
