Lepus europaeus

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,037 meters (0 to 9,964 feet).[1]

Ecology: Lepus europaeus is a highly adaptable species that can persist in any number of habitat types (Flux and Angermann 1990). There is a positive association with hare abundance and habitat density and diversity (Smith et al. 2005). When available, weeds and wild grasses are selected by L. europaeus; however, intensified agro-practices have reduced this food source resulting in the selection of crop species (Reichlin et al. 2006).

L. europaeus averages three litters/yr, but can vary from one to four litters/yr (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). Litter size can vary with respect to the season , smaller litters produced earlier in the season and larger litters later (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). The birth weight of L. europaeus is approximately 100 g (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). Gestation is 41-42 days and reproduction occurs year round (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). Average life expectancy for this hare is 1.04 years, with a maximum age span in the wild of 12.5 years recorded in Poland (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). Females reach maturity around seven to eight months and male at six months (Macdonald and Barrett 1993). The total length of L. europaeus is 48.0-70.0 cm (Macdonald and Barrett 1993).[2].

List of Habitats:

•     3     Shrubland   
  
•     3.3     Shrubland - Boreal   
  
•     3.4     Shrubland - Temperate   
  
•     3.8     Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation   
  
•     4     Grassland   
  
•     4.4     Grassland - Temperate   
  
•     14     Artificial/Terrestrial   
  
•     14.1     Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land   
  
•     14.2     Artificial/Terrestrial - Pastureland   
[more info]

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Aug-2007

There has been recent evidence that suggests that Petter's (1959, 1961) hypothesis of conspecificity of Lepus europaeus and L. capensis may be correct. A study of the nuclear gene pool of L. capensis, L. europaeus and the North African Hare, indicated that the North African Hare as well as L. europaeus belong to L. capensis (Ben Slimen et al. 2005). However, a study of the mtDNA of these three groups indicated a significant degree of divergence supporting species specific designation (Ben Slimen et al. 2006). Ben Slimen et al. (2008a) suggest that in a case such as the genus Lepus, where evolution is "rapid and to some extent reticulate " species designation based solely on mtDNA is misleading without examination of the nuclear gene pool . Ben Slimen et al. (2008a) has shown that genetic differentiation between L. capensis and L. europaeus could be attributed to geographic distance rather than divergence. They speculate that gene flow may be occurring in the Near East where distributions meet resulting in the potential for intergraded populations. Ben Slimen et al. (2008b) propose that "a combined phylogenetic , phylogeographic, and population genetic approach,…, based on various nuclear and mitochondrial markers and including other biological characters, such as phenotypic and morphometric data ," are needed for conclusive evidence of a single species complex. Until data are available supporting a change in the taxonomic status of L. europaeus, it remains a true species.

There are 15 subspecies : Lepus europaeus caspicus, L. e. connori, L. e. creticus, L. e. cyprius, L. e. cyrensis, L. e. europaeus, L. e. hybridus, L. e. judeae, L. e. karpathorum, L. e. medius, L. e. occidentalis, L. e. parnassius, L. e. ponticus, L. e. rhodius, L. e. syriacus, and L. e. transsylvanicus (Hoffmann and Smith 2005).[2].

Similar Species

Members of the genus Lepus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 58 species and subspecies in this genus:

L. alleni (Antelope Jack Rabbit) · L. alleni alleni (Antelope Jack Rabbit) · L. americanus (Snowshoe Rabbit) · L. americanus americanus (Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus klamathensis (Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus seclusus (Bighorn Mountain Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus tahoensis (Sierra Nevada Snowshoe Hare) · L. americanus washingtonii (Washington Snowshoe Hare) · L. arcticus (Arctic Hare) · L. arcticus arcticus (Arctic Hare) · L. brachyurus (Japanese Hare) · L. brachyurus brachyurus (Japanese Hare) · L. californica (Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. californicus (Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. californicus bennettii (Black-Tailed Jackrabbit) · L. californicus californicus (Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. callotis (Beautiful-Eared Jack Rabbit) · L. callotis callotis (Beautiful-Eared Jack Rabbit) · L. callotis gaillardi (White-Sided Jackrabbit) · L. capensis (European Hare) · L. capensis capensis (Brown Hare) · L. castroviejoi (Broom Hare) · L. comus (Yunnan Hare) · L. coreanus (Korean Hare) · L. corsicanus (APPENINE HARE) · L. europaeus (European Brown Hare) · L. fagani (Ethiopian Hare) · L. flavigularis (Tehuantepec Jack Rabbit) · L. granatensis (Iberian Hare) · L. granatensis granatensis (Granada Hare) · L. habessinicus (Abyssinian Hare) · L. hainanus (Chinese Pinyin) · L. insularis (Espiritu Santo Jackrabbit) · L. mandshuricus (Manchurian Hare) · L. microtis (African Savanna Hare) · L. nigricollis (Black-Napped Hare) · L. nigricollis nigricollis (Indian Hare) · L. oiostolus (Woolly Hare) · L. oiostolus oiostolus (Woolly Hare) · L. oistolus (Woolly Hare) · L. othus (Beringian Hare) · L. othus othus (Alaskan Hare) · L. peguensis (Siamese Hare) · L. saxatilis (Savannah Hare) · L. saxatilis saxatilis (Scrub Hare) · L. sinensis (Chinese Hare) · L. sinensis sinensis (Chinese Hare) · L. starcki (Ethiopian Highland Hare) · L. tibetanus (Desert Hare) · L. timidus (Eurasian Arctic Hare) · L. timidus timidus (Arctic Hare) · L. tolai (Tolai Hare) · L. townsendi (White-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. townsendii (White-Tailed Jack Rabbit) · L. townsendii campanius (White-Tailed Jackrabbit) · L. townsendii townsendii (Western White-Tailed Jackrabbit) · L. victoriae (African Savanna Hare) · L. yarkandensis (Yarkland Hare)

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Further Reading

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Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• Smith, A.T. & Johnston, C.H. 2008. Lepus europaeus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 01February2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Marine Science Institute, UCSB, Paleobiology Database
• Michigan State University Museum, Vertebrate specimens
• OZCAM
• Provider, Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums
• Royal Ontario Museum, Mammal specimens
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Biological Records Centre - Mammal records from Britain from the Atlas of Mammals
• , with some subsequent records
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Scottish Borders Biological Records Centre - SWT Scottish Borders Local Wildlife Site Survey data 1996-2000 - species information

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 107252
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-727858
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 1043097
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 552501
• IUCN ID: 219156
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AMAEB03080
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 127968

Footnotes

1. Mean = 216.840 meters (711.417 feet), Standard Deviation = 329.460 based on 16,115 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
2. Smith, A.T. & Johnston, C.H. 2008. Lepus europaeus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 01 February 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.