Географическая изменчивостъ звукового сигнала красного сурка Marmota caudata, биоакустический анализ подтверждает подвидовой статус восточнопамирско-каракорумской популяции. Geographic variation in Marmota caudata alarm calls: bioacoustical analysis supports the subspecific status of east Pamir and karakoram populations [Variations géographiques des cris d'alarme de Marmota caudata: l'analyse bioacoustique confirme le statut de sous espèce des populations du Pamir et du Kar

Résumé

Limited knowledge of geographical variation in Marmota caudata makes it difficult to properly define subspecies ranges (Gromov et al.1965). Some authors (Gromov et al.1965, Yakovlev & Derlyatko 1967, Davidov et al.1978) mentioned that marmots inhabiting eastern Pamir might be a unique population based, in part, on unique alarm call characteristics. Nikol'skii and Orlenev (1980) confirmed that Eastern Pamir marmot produced unique calls but the distribution of this subspecies is unknown. Marmota caudata alarm calls consist of a species of short, quickly repeated notes. The second and subsequent notes in populations inhabiting the Eastern Pamir are much shorter than marmots inhabiting the Tyan-Shan and Alay. It was assumed that signal variation was caused by glacial isolation and the Eastern Pamir is assumed to be an intraglacial area (Zabirov 1955, Trofinov 1962, Chediya 1962). The goal of this report is to enlarge our knowledge of the geographical variability of Marmota caudata. We compare the structure of marmot alarm calls inhabiting Northern Pakistan with those described by Nikol'skii and Orlenev (1980), having added some new material from Pamir, Alay and Gissaro-Darvas. Marmots were recorded in natural conditions. Once in Khunjerab National Park in the Karakoram mountains of northeastern Pakistan. The average length of the second and subsequent calls varies between populations (Table 1). In populations 1, notes remain long, while in populations 2 and 3, notes get shorter throughout the multi-note alarm calls. Thus, the length of the second and subsequent calls unites marmots inhabiting Northern Pakistan with the population of East Pamir, while differentiating it from the populations inhabiting the Tyan-Shan, the Gissaro-Darvas and the Alay. These acoustic characteristics are consistent with other traits that reinforce our assigning these populations subspecific status. The border between subspecies likely to be in located along revers the Bartang, the Murgab and the Aksu. Table 1. Geographical variability of Marmota caudata alarm calls RegionsnThe serial number and the duration of sounds (ms, x ± s.e., P=95%) 1234 1. Tyan-Shan, Gissaro-Darvas, Alay (10 local populations)105141±2.7106±2.7119±2.7128±2.8 2. East Pamir (5 local populations)51131±2.461.8±3.539±3.834.5±2.8 Karakoram22135±4.764.9±5.253.4±6.040.3±7.3