Current status of black-capped marmot in North East Siberia.

Résumé

Black-capped marmot Marmota camtchatica Pall from Yakutia is represented with two populations of subspecies forms. The Yakutia subspecies M. c. bungei Kastch inhabits North East Yakutia occurring in mountain ecosystems of the Moma, Chersky, Verkhoyansk mountain-ridges reaching the Yana and Lena downstreams along the Kharaulakh Range. Baikal marmot (Barguzin) M. c. doppelmayeri Birula occurs in the upstream of the Aldan in the Zverev mountain-ridge, in the basins of the Olekma,Tokko and Chara. In the 50-60s of the last century distribution and biology of Yakutia marmot were carefully studied by Kapitonov, as for Baikal subspecies we have only scanty information. We gathered detailed evidence on number and state of Yakutia subspecies during All-union census of marmot number in 1984. According to these data endangered Kondek population of Yakutia marmot and south-Yakutia population of Baikal subspecies entered on the YASSR Red Book in 1987. Further wildlife biologists of our Institute – Yu. Revin, Yu. Lukovtsev, N. Solomonov, V. Vasiliev, I. Oklopkov, F. Yakovlev including the researchers from other institutions – N. Zheleznov, V. Lyamkin, G. Boyeskorov studied different aspects of black-capped marmot biology and distribution. Vasiliev and Semenov defended Ph.D. theses on marmot hibernation and characteristics of its biology. Because of decline in numbers and fragment spreading of both Yakutia black-capped marmot subspecies they joined in the Red Book of Sakha in 2003. Black-capped marmot is the most important intermediate between marmots of the “marmota” and “lobec” groups. This gives rise to the interest for researchers concerning to its origin and settling during a historical span. By level of morphological differentiation black-capped marmot subspecies M. c. kamtchatica and M. c. doppelmayeri especially differ at the level of independent species (Kapitonov 1978; Baryshnikov, et al. 1981; Gromov, Erbayeva 1995). Important immune-genetic differences are found in all three marmot subspecies (Tolnerovskaya, et al. 1990). We assume that G. Boyeskorov’s proposal (1999 ) to regard Marmota camtchatica a superspecies is reasonable.