Abramov Alexei V, Puzachenko Andrey Yu, Masuda Ryuichi
Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russi.
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetnyy per., Moscow 109017, Russia. E-mail:
Zool Stud. 2018 Mar 26;57:e14. doi: 10.6620/ZS.2018.57-14. eCollection 2018.
Morphometric variation in 23 cranial characters of 555 Siberian weasels () was studied across its whole distribution range. Most of the distribution range in Siberia and China is occupied by medium-sized weasels, whereas the eastern part of the species range - including the Russian Far East, Korea and eastern China - is occupied by the larger form. Specimens from the Pacific islands (Jeju and Tsushima) were morphologically closely related to the western form of than to the neighboring continental weasels. The western form can be treated as nominotypical subspecies Pallas, 1773, whereas the eastern form can be treated as Brass, 1911. Small-sized weasels from the eastern Himalayan area (Myanmar and southwestern China) form a distinct group within , and they were treated as a subspecies; (Milne- Edwards, 1874). Specimens from the western Himalayas (Kashmir, Nepal and Sikkim) are morphologically distinct from all other populations of and can be treated as a separate species Hodgson, 1837.
对555只黄鼬23个颅骨特征的形态测量变异在其整个分布范围内进行了研究。西伯利亚和中国的大部分分布区域由中型黄鼬占据，而该物种分布范围的东部地区——包括俄罗斯远东地区、韩国和中国东部——则由体型较大的形态占据。来自太平洋岛屿（济州岛和对马岛）的标本在形态上与西部形态的黄鼬关系密切，而与邻近的大陆黄鼬关系较远。西部形态可视为指名亚种黄鼬（Pallas，1773年），而东部形态可视为黄鼬（Brass，1911年）。来自喜马拉雅东部地区（缅甸和中国西南部）的小型黄鼬在黄鼬中形成一个独特的群体，它们被视为一个亚种；黄鼬（Milne-Edwards，1874年）。来自喜马拉雅西部（克什米尔、尼泊尔和锡金）的标本在形态上与黄鼬的所有其他种群不同，可视为一个单独的物种黄鼬（Hodgson，1837年）。
