Moupin Pika

The Moupin pika (Ochotona thibetana), also known as Moupin-pika, and Manipuri pika, is a species of mammal in the pika family, Ochotonidae. It has many subspecies, some of which may be distinct species. Its summer pelage is dark russet-brown with some light spots on the dorsal side, and ochraceous buff tinged on the belly. In winter it is lighter, with buff to dull brown dorsal pelage. A generalist herbivore, it is found in the mountains of the eastern Tibetan Plateau in China (Gansu, southern Qinghai, Yunnan, and Sichuan), Bhutan, India (Sikkim), and northern Myanmar. Both the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species and the Red List of China's Vertebrates classify it as a species of least concern; although one subspecies may be endangered. == Taxonomy == The Moupin pika was first described in 1871 by the French mammalogist and ornithologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards. There are five recognized subspecies according to the Mammals Species of the World: Ochotona thibetana. nangquenica Zheng et al., 1980 Ochotona thibetana osgoodi Anthony, 1922 Ochotona thibetana sacraria Thomas, 1923 Ochotona thibetana sikimaria Thomas, 1922* Recently declared a separate species Ochotona thibetana thibetana Milne-Edwards, 1871 The Gansu pika (Ochotona cansus) was previously treated…