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Hewitt's red rock hare
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Lagomorpha
Family:	Leporidae
Genus:	Pronolagus
Species:	P. saundersiae
Binomial name
	Pronolagus saundersiae; Hewitt, 1927
	Hewitt's red rock hare range
Synonyms
	Pronolagus barretti Roberts, 1949 ; Pronolagus bowkeri Hewitt, 1927 ; Pronolagus australis Roberts, 1933;

Hewitt's red rock hare (Pronolagus saundersiae) is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It is a medium-sized, densely-furred rufous and brown rabbit that behaves similarly to other red rock hares, with a preference for a higher-elevation rocky habitat. Previously classified as a subspecies of Smith's red rock hare (Pronolagus rupestris), it is now regarded as its own species.

Taxonomy

Hewitt's red rock hare was named by John Hewitt (1880–1961), the director of the Albany Museum, South Africa.^[8] Hewitt originally described this taxon as a subspecies of Pronolagus crassicaudatus in his 1927 description.^[7] Its type locality was Grahamstown.^[9]^[10] He described this taxon based on skulls from Albany district, collected by Enid Saunders and Frank Bowker; the species is named after Saunders.^[11]

It was later classified as a subspecies of Pronolagus rupestris by various zoologists,^[12] including Ellerman, Morrison-Scott and Hayman,^[9] as well as Hoffman and Smith for the third edition of Mammal Species of the World.^[6]

Works which list it as its own species include the IUCN Red List,^[1] Mammals of Africa,^[7] and Jonathan Kingdon's field guide.^[13] It is regarded as its own species due to differences in morphology (specifically having a snout bone shorter than its frontal bone, compared to Smith's red rock hare)^[14] and genetic differences in cytochrome b and 12S rRNA from other members of Pronolagus.^[15]

Fossil record

Fossils of P. saundersiae are extremely sparse. Presence of its remains in archaeological studies are mentioned in lists of taxa found at a given site, but they are never described or illustrated. It has specifically appeared in localities dating back to the Late Pleistocene, but further study is warranted to clarify its first appearance.^[16]

Description

P. saundersiae is a densely-furred, medium-sized (1.35–2.05 kilograms (3.0–4.5 lb)) red rock hare that is largely brown with light rufous underparts and a sandy- to red-colored tail. Its sides are slightly lighter than its back in coloration, and its head is grayish-brown with grayish-white cheeks.^[17]^[16]

Distribution and habitat

Hewitt's red rock hare is found in South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho.^[1] It specifically occurs in the South African provinces of Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the western half of Eswatini and the entirety of Lesotho.^[17] Its range overlaps with that of Jameson's red rock hare in some regions, where the two species' habitats differ in elevation and rainfall,^[18] and the Natal red rock hare in others, where the two species are sympatric.^[19]

Its habitat is similar to that of other red rock hares. It occupies rocky escarpments, hillsides and kopjes,^[17] residing in particular on the tops of rocky outcroppings and in higher elevations in general.^[19] The tendency of P. saundersiae towards higher elevations in its habitat contributes to the separation of it from other red rock hares in areas of overlapping distribution.^[19]^[17] Other regions Hewitt's red rock hare are found include elevated grassland and shrubland.^[1]

Behavior and ecology

Hewitt's red rock hare is presumed to behave similarly to Smith's red rock hare - a nocturnal forager that shelters under boulders and in crevices.^[17] It is presumed to be a folivore, preferring to eat grasses, herbs and shrubs.^[20]

Known predators of Hewitt's red rock hare are Verreaux's eagle, Cape eagle-owls, and leopards, which prey upon all red rock hares.^[17]

Interactions with humans

The population of Hewitt's red rock hare was estimated to be over 10,000 mature individuals in 2004, and the species has been considered "abundant" throughout its range. However, there are several threats to the species, many of which are anthropogenic, and declines in population are anticipated.^[18]

Conservation

Hewitt's red rock hare is listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species; no conservation measures have been put in place, though the species does occur in at least one protected area.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Robinson, T.J.; Child, M.F.; Matthee, C.M. (2019). "Pronolagus saundersiae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T136713A45194657. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T136713A45194657.en. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
^ Hewitt 1927, pp. 434–437, Pl. 26, fig. 2.
^ Roberts, Austen (1949). "A New Pronolagus from Natal". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 21 (1): 179–180. hdl:10520/AJA00411752_472.
^ Hewitt 1927, pp. 437–439, Pl. 26, fig. 1, Pl. 27, fig. 7.
^ Roberts, Austin (1933). "Eleven new forms of South African mammals". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 15 (2): 270. hdl:10520/AJA00411752_604.
^ ^a ^b Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^ ^a ^b ^c Happold, David C. D. (2013). "Pronolagus saundersiae Hewitt's Red Rock-hare". In Happold, David C. D. (ed.). Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Mammals of Africa. Vol. 3. London: Bloomsbury. p. 717. ISBN 978-1-4081-8992-4.
^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael, eds. (2009). "Hewitt". The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780801895333.
^ ^a ^b Ellerman, J. R.; Morrison-Scott, T. C. S.; Hayman, R. W. (1953). "Lagomorpha — Leporidae". Southern African Mammals 1758 to 1951: A Reclassification. London: Tonbridge. p. 221.
^ Meester, J. A. J.; Rautenbach, I. L.; Dippenaar, N. J.; Baker, C. M. (1986). "Order Lagomorpha". Classification of Southern African Mammals. Transvaal Museum Monographs. Vol. 5. Transvaal Museum. pp. 298–307. hdl:10520/AJA090799001_112. ISBN 0907990061.
^ Hewitt 1927, pp. 434–435.
^ Duthie, A. G.; Robinson, T. J. (1990). "The African Rabbits". In Chapman, Joseph A.; Flux, John E. C. (eds.). Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. pp. 121–127. ISBN 2-8317-0019-1.
^ Kingdon, Jonathan (2015). "Hewitt's Red Rock-Hare". The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals (2nd ed.). London: Bloomsbury. p. 305. ISBN 978-1-4729-1236-7.
^ Happold, David C. D. (2013). Mammals of Africa. Vol. 3. A&C Black. p. 715. ISBN 9781408189962.
^ Robinson, T. J.; Matthee, C. A. (2005). "Phylogeny and evolutionary origins of the Leporidae: a review of cytogenetics, molecular analyses and a supermatrix analysis". Mammal Review. 35 (3–4): 241. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2005.00073.x.
^ ^a ^b Sen, S.; Pickford, M. (2022). "Red Rock Hares (Leporidae, Lagomorpha) past and present in southern Africa, and a new species of Pronolagus from the early Pleistocene of Angola" (PDF). Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia. 24: 67–96.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Smith, Andrew T.; Johnston, Charlotte H.; Alves, Paulo C.; Hackländer, Klaus, eds. (2018). "Pronolagus saundersiae (Hewitt, 1927) Hewitt's Red Rock Hare". Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-2341-8. LCCN 2017004268.
^ ^a ^b Robinson, Terry; Child, Matthew; Matthee, Conrad; Johnston, Charlotte; Smith, Andrew (June 2018), Child, MF; Roxburgh, L; Do Linh San, E; Raimondo, D; Davies-Mostert, HT (eds.), "Pronolagus saundersiae P Stapleton, John Hewitt, 1927", The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, South Africa: South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust
^ ^a ^b ^c Matthee, Conrad; Wilson, Beryl; Robinson, Terry; Child, Matthew; Roxburgh, Lizanne; Smith, Andrew (January 2016), Child, MF; Roxburgh, L; Do Linh San, E; Raimondo, D; Davies-Mostert, HT (eds.), "Pronolagus crassicaudatus A Sedgwick, R Murchison, 1832", The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, South Africa: South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust
^ Sekine, R. (2000). "Pronolagus rupestris (Smith's red rockhare)". Animal Diversity Web. Archived from the original on 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-09-01.

Works cited

Hewitt, John (1927). "On several new Rodents in the Albany Museum". Records of the Albany Museum. 3 (5): 430–440; Plates 26, 27.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)