New Records of the Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming (Dicrostonyx
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265 THE CANADIAN FIELD -N ATURALIST Vol. 128 New Records of the Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming ( Dicrostonyx nunatakensis ) in central Yukon THOMAS S. J UNG 1, 4 , B RIAN G. S LOUGH 2, D AVID W. N AGORSEN 3, AND PIIA M. K UKKA 1 1Yukon Department of Environment, Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6 Canada 235 Cronkhite Road, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5S9 Canada 3Mammalia Biological Consulting, Victoria, British Columbia V9C 3Z4 Canada 4Corresponding author: [email protected] Jung, Thomas S., Brian G. Slough, David W. Nagorsen, and Piia M. Kukka. 2014. New records of the Ogilvie Mountains Col - lared Lemming ( Dicrostonyx nunatakensis ) in central Yukon. Canadian Field-Naturalist 128(3): 265–268. The Ogilvie Mountain Collared Lemming ( Dicrostonyx nunatakensis Youngman, 1967), reported only from the Ogilvie Mountains of central Yukon, is among the least known mammals in Canada. It was first discovered in 1961 and, since then, only 13 specimens had been collected, all from one mountain, in central Yukon. We conducted a targeted survey to determine the distribution of the species by trapping areas of apparently suitable habitat on 12 mountains within 40 km of the known location. Many of our traps were disabled by other mammals; however, we captured three Ogilvie Mountain Collared Lem - mings on two mountains 25.9 km and 29.6 km from the original location. Our findings suggest that this lemming may be more widely distributed than indicated by earlier specimens. We suggest further surveys to delineate the range of the Ogilvie Mountain Collared Lemming. Key Words: Ogilvie Mountain Collared Lemming; Dicrostonyx nunatakensis ; distribution; Tombstone Territorial Park; Yukon Introduction ducted a targeted survey for the Ogilvie Mountain Col - The Ogilvie Mountain Collared Lemming ( Dicro - lared Lemming to determine whether it inhabits other stonyx nunatakensis Youngman, 1967) is known from nearby mountains. This information is essential for bet - only one mountain in central Yukon, Canada. Collared ter understanding the distribution and conservation sta - Lemmings in the Ogilvie Mountains are geographi - tus of this population. cally separated from populations of Nearctic Collared Lemming ( Dicrostonyx groenlandicus ) to the northeast Study Area by about 250 km of apparently unoccupied habitat. During 19–31 August 2011, we surveyed 12 moun - The nearest recorded population of Nearctic Collared tains in the southern Ogilvie Mountains, all located Lemming is in the Richardson Mountains, northeast of within Tombstone Territorial Park. Tombstone Territo - the Ogilvie Mountains. Youngman (1967) speculated rial Park is approximately 2,200 km 2, much of which that Collared Lemmings in the Ogilvie Mountains rep - lies above the tree line. Our sampling sites were distrib - resent a relic population of Dicrostonyx that became uted over five distinct mountain ranges (Table 1 and isolated on nunataks (unglaciated mountain tops) dur - Figure 1). The mountains we surveyed were distrib - ing the Last Glacial Maximum and that they may uted throughout the park to provide spatial coverage remain reproductively isolated. Although the Ogilvie of the alpine habitat within the park. We did not sam - Mountain Collared Lemming is afforded species status ple at Trapper Mountain because the species was al - by Wilson and Reeder (2005), the taxonomic status of ready known from there (Youngman 1964, 1967, 1975; Collared Lemmings in the Ogilvie Mountains is unre - Slough and Jung 2007). Survey sites were accessed solved (J. Eger, Royal Ontario Museum, personal com - by helicopter. munication). The Ogilvie Mountain Collared Lemming is one of Methods the least known terrestrial mammals in North America On each mountain surveyed, we selected a sampling (Nagorsen 1998). Only 13 museum specimens exist, all site in alpine tundra that was similar in elevation and collected from a single mountain, Trapper Mountain habitat characteristics (dry heath, gentle slope) to cap - (64.583°, -138.217°), located in Tombstone Territorial ture sites on Trapper Mountain (Youngman 1975; Jung Park, Yukon (Youngman 1964, 1967, 1975; Slough and et al ., unpublished data). At each sampling site, we set Jung 2007). The specimens were collected at 1625– snap-traps in variable-length trap lines that contained 1676 m above sea level in dry rocky alpine tundra 60 trapping stations (49 in 1 case) set 10–15 m apart. (heath) at the base of glacial cirques. At each trapping station, we set both a Museum Spe - Limited survey effort has hampered our ability to cial and a Victor snap-trap (Woodstream Corp., Lititz, assess accurately the distribution of this apparently Pennsylvania) 1–2 m apart. Traps were baited with range-restricted small mammal. Because surveys have peanut butter and rolled oats and left unattended for been constrained by the remote high-elevation habi - 9–11 days ( x– = 10.3 ± 0.3 standard deviation [SD]; tats in the Ogilvie Mountains, it is unknown whether Table 1). We recorded the number of specimens cap - this species is restricted to a single mountain. We con - tured per trap line and the number of traps that were 266 THE CANADIAN FIELD -N ATURALIST Vol. 128 - b e m n w o a e t T r 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n h n o i S ) M s i s n e a r k e l d a t 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 o n a u V n T u n e * x l s y o e n r V n o u t r t d s e p e o h a k r 3 4 0 0 3 0 1 2 0 1 t 1 1 c c r c i a o p b a D - N r ( d T e g n R i m s g n m n i i e a t L m n d m u e e o r L a 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 l M l d e o e i r C v a l l i s l g n o i O a C t n u o M . g s e n i u † 0 l u 5 7 7 7 . 8 2 7 2 5 0 v s . o r l 0 p i ‡ c 7 6 4 6 0 4 6 4 7 5 p i a 0 g s t 7 7 8 8 6 6 8 8 9 7 r 1 t n O o % e m h t t x r e f o g r o f n o IGURE f F 1. Boundaries of Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, i S y e s p t e , p g Canada, and the 12 sites sampled for the Ogilvie h v 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 w a 9 9 9 n r g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 r e i i t u r l Mountains Collared Lemming ( Dicrostonyx nunatak - s n . h p o S d ensis ) in 2011. Filled circles indicate locations where m e e N a t n S lemmings were captured, open circles where they e a t g r n were not detected. Note: Trapper Mountain is the only a o t t e M a moun tain where specimens were previously collected. s . ; 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 g 8 o s s 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 n u 9 p i N 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 a r m r u o t d sprung or not functioning at the end of the sampling n o s c e e period. Our sampling protocol represented a maximum r o u t s sampling effort of 14 638 trap nights (1 trap night = 1 n p u o t a i ) t 1 1 0 8 9 0 6 8 8 7 6 0 c o trap set for 1 night). r a 3 5 1 5 0 6 9 3 4 0 5 3 m c p v 6 5 4 5 7 5 6 3 5 6 3 6 i ( a e 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Captured animals were identified by morphology r l M t E , d and pelage. Small mammals were identified using the e l n o a V key provided by MacDonald (2003). Identification of , t a r r o the Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming was based e d f . 0 0 9 1 2 2 9 1 2 7 5 4 d f n . 1 ) 9 8 3 9 3 4 2 5 4 2 4 8 u e u l t on morphologic and pelagic characteristics, particu - 1 5 5 2 4 5 3 5 9 7 4 8 0 a i T g 0 W 7 8 7 5 8 4 2 5 1 2 2 6 g ; . m ° n 2 s i n ( i n larly very short tail and ears, densely furred feet, and 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 l t u n o o 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 l s p i a i L t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 t buff-gray fur with a black dorsal stripe (MacDonald u a n m u g a r a u m 2003). We deposited specimens at the Royal Ontario s s r g A , e n o , i n d f Museum (Toronto, Ontario).