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The Annamite striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi is an endangered lagomorph restricted to the Annamite mountains of Viet Nam and Lao P.D.R. Much remains unknown about the species, especially in its unexplored range in southern Lao P.D.R. Here, we report two market specimens from Dak Cheung district in Sekong province. Both animals were killed by firearms, and were reportedly hunted in the mountain range along the Viet Nam border. The specimens represent the southernmost records known from Lao P.D.R., and indicate that hunting with firearms may be a localized threat in some areas, along with the widespread threat of snares across the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Annamite mountains of Vietnam and Laos are a global biodiversity hotspot harboring several threatened endemic species. Conservation efforts to protect these endemics are hampered by a lack of knowledge on their ecology and distribution. We conducted landscape scale camera‐trapping across six study areas in the Annamites to assess distribution patterns of two endemics: the Annamite dark muntjac species complex Muntiacus rooseveltorum/ truongsonensis and the Annamite striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi. We used a Bayesian single‐species occupancy framework to estimate occupancy as a function of ecological and anthropogenic factors. Our study showed that Annamite dark muntjac was predominantly found at higher elevations (>1000 m) and in areas that were more inaccessible to people and had lower surrounding village density. Annamite striped rabbit exhibited both positive and negative responses to elevation among study areas, with no clear response to the anthropogenic covariates. Our results showed that covariate responses varied among the study areas when random effects were included on study areas. We discuss the application of random effects to investigate species occupancies across large spatial scales, and the risk of not accounting for variation among study areas. Our prediction maps provide the first comprehensive overview of the distribution of these endemic species across a substantial part of their range and can be used to help stakeholders focus conservation efforts on priority areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]