Microtus is agenus ofvoles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They eat green vegetation such as grasses and sedges in summer, and grains, seeds, root and bark at other times. The genus is also called "meadow voles".[1]
| Microtus Temporal range: LatePliocene - recent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lusitanian pine vole | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Tribe: | Microtini |
| Genus: | Microtus Schrank, 1798 |
| Type species | |
| Microtus terrestris Schrank, 1798 (=Mus arvalisPallas, 1778) | |
| Subgenera | |
Blanfordimys | |
There is some disagreement on the definitive list of species in this genus, and which subgenera are recognized. TheAmerican Society of Mammalogists recognizes the following 60 species, with discrepancies as noted:[2]
SubgenusBlanfordimys
- Afghan vole (Microtus afghanus)
- Bucharian vole (Microtus bucharensis)
- Juniper vole (Microtus yuldaschi)
SubgenusEuarvicola
- Short-tailed field vole (Microtus agrestis)
- Mediterranean field vole (Microtus lavernedii)split fromM. agrestis[3]
- Portuguese field vole (Microtus rozianus)split fromM. agrestis[4]
SubgenusHyrcanicola (not recognized by the ASM, listed in subgenusMicrotus)
- Schelkovnikov's pine vole (M. schelkovnikovi)
SubgenusIberomys
- Cabrera's vole (Microtus cabrerae)
SubgenusMicrotus
- Anatolian vole (Microtus anatolicus)
- Common vole (Microtus arvalis)
- Doğramaci's vole (Microtus dogramacii)
- Günther's vole (Microtus guentheri)
- Harting's vole (Microtus hartingi)split fromM. guentheri[5]
- Tien Shan vole (Microtus ilaeus)
- Persian vole (Microtus irani)
- Kerman vole (Microtus kermanensis)
- Cyrenaica vole (Microtus mustersi)split fromM. guentheri[6]
- East European vole (Microtus mystacinus)
- Altai vole (Microtus obscurus)split fromM. arvalis[7]
- Paradox vole (Microtus paradoxus)
- East European gray vole (Microtus rossiaemeridionalis)split fromM. mystacinus[8]
- Schidlovsky's vole (Microtus schidlovskii)
- Social vole (Microtus socialis)
- Transcaspian vole (Microtus transcaspicus)
SubgenusPedomys (not recognized by the ASM, listed in subgenusPitymys)
- Prairie vole (M. ochrogaster)
SubgenusPitymys (includes the former subgenusMynomes)
- Insular vole (Microtus abbreviatus)
- California vole (Microtus californicus)
- Gray-tailed vole (Microtus canicaudus)
- Rock vole (Microtus chrotorrhinus)
- Western meadow vole (Microtus drummondi)
- Florida salt marsh vole (Microtus dukecampbelli)
- Guatemalan vole (Microtus guatemalensis)
- Long-tailed vole (Microtus longicaudus)
- Mexican vole (Microtus mexicanus)
- Mogollon vole (Microtus mogollonensis)split fromM. mexicanus[9]
- Montane vole (Microtus montanus)
- Tarabundí vole (Microtus oaxacensis)
- Creeping vole (Microtus oregoni)
- Eastern meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)
- Woodland vole (Microtus pinetorum)
- Jalapan pine vole (Microtus quasiater)
- North American water vole (Microtus richardsoni)
- Townsend's vole (Microtus townsendii)
- Zempoaltépec vole (Microtus umbrosus)
- Taiga vole (Microtus xanthognathus)
SubgenusTerricola
- Calabria pine vole (Microtus brachycercus)
- Daghestan pine vole (Microtus daghestanicus)
- Mediterranean pine vole (Microtus duodecimcostatus)
- Felten's vole (Microtus felteni)
- Anatolian pine vole (Microtus fingeri)split fromM. subterraneus[10]
- Liechtenstein's pine vole (Microtus liechtensteini)
- Lusitanian pine vole (Microtus lusitanicus)
- Major's pine vole (Microtus majori)
- Alpine pine vole (Microtus multiplex)
- Sicilian pine vole (Microtus nebrodensis)split fromM. savii[11]
- Gerbe's vole (Microtus gerbii orMicrotus pyrenaicus)
- Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii)
- European pine vole (Microtus subterraneus)
- Tatra pine vole (Microtus tatricus)
- Thomas's pine vole (Microtus thomasi)
The IUCN recognizes these additional species:
- Bavarian pine vole (Microtus bavaricus) (included inM. multiplex by ASM)
- Singing vole (Microtus miurus) (IUCN lists this as split fromM. gregalis, but the ASM listsM. miurus as a synonym ofM. abbreviatus)[12]
- Elbeyli vole (Microtus elbeyli) (IUCN list this as distinct fromM. irani)[13]
- Qazvin vole (Microtus qazvinensis) (IUCN list this as distinct fromM. irani)[14]
There is also at least one known subfossil species known:
Subgenus†Tyrrhenicola
- †Sardinian vole (M. henseli) extinct after 1300 BC
References
edit- ^"Microtus".ITIS database.
- ^Mammal Diversity Database (2023)."Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.11) [Data set]".Zenodo.doi:10.5281/zenodo.7830771.
- ^"Microtus lavernedii".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus rozianus".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus hartingi".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus mustersi".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus obscurus".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus rossiaemeridionalis".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus mogollonensis".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus fingeri".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus nebrodensis".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.11.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^"Microtus abbreviatus".ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.12.1.American Society of Mammalogists.
- ^Yigit, N.; Kennerley, R. (2019)."Microtus elbeyli".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2019: e.T112465222A112465231.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T112465222A112465231.en. Retrieved5 May 2023.
- ^Kennerley, R. (2016)."Microtus qazvinensis".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2016: e.T136565A22350870.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T136565A22350870.en. Retrieved5 May 2023.
- Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005)."Superfamily Muroidea". InWilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.).Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531.ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.OCLC 62265494. (online database version entry for Muroidea).
External links
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