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Arborimus pomo

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Sonoma Tree Vole
(Arborimus pomo)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:Rodentia
Suborder:Supramyomorpha
Infraorder:Myomorphi
Superfamily:Muroidea
Family:Cricetidae
Subfamily:Arvicolinae
Tribe:Pliophenacomyini
Genus:Arborimus
Binomial details
Arborimus pomo M. L. Johnson & S. B. George, 1991

Description

From Adam & Hayes (1998): "Pelage of A. pomo is reddish brown on the dorsum and gray with rusty-brown tinged hairs on the venter. Tail is thick, well-haired, dusky-brown above, somewhat paler below (Johnson and George, 1991). Body mass is 20-45 g. Ears are small (10-12 mm) and almost hairless. Externally, A. pomo is almost identical to A. longicaudus, although A. pomo is slightly smaller in overall body size (Johnson and George, 1991)."

From Jameson & Peeters (2004), describing both Arborimus longicaudus and Arborimus pomo: "Bright chestnut red or brick red voles with a long, well-furred tail, curved claws, and ears partly concealed in fur. The species A. pomo and A. longicaudus have chromosomal differences but apparently cannot be separated in the field. Both might possibly be confused with the California Red-backed Vole (Clethrionomys californicus), which is much darker red and has a shorter tail."

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External measurements

Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.

Part of range Reference Total length Tail length Hindfoot length Ear length Mass
California Jameson & Peeters (2004) 158–186 60–76 19–21 10–11 24–27
rangewide Adam and Hayes (1998) males: 95–98 (head and body, n=56); females: 101–103 (head and body, n=121) males: 64–68 (n=56); females: 66–73 (n=121) males: 19–20 (n=56); females: 19–20 (n=121)


Skull

From Adam & Hayes (1998): "Skulls of Arborimus can be distinguished from those of other arvicoline rodents by a combination of two characters: presence of three projections on the lingual side of the last upper molar; reentrant angles of the lower molars extend two-thirds of the way to the labial side on the lingual side and about one-third of the way to the lingual side on the labial side (Maser and Storm, 1970). Skulls of A. pomo and A. longicaudus can be differentiated from A. albipes by having a pronounced longitudinal depression between orbits bordered by a strong ridge on each side, wide incisive foramina, and strongly recurved upper incisors (Maser and Storm, 1970)."

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Similar species

From Adam & Hayes (1998): "A. pomo and A. longicaudus can be distinguished from similar rodents by having a brownish-red dorsum with black-tipped hairs; a light gray venter often washed with reddish-orange, and a well-haired tail that is >50 mm long and >50% of length of head and body (Maser and Storm, 1970; Verts and Carraway, 1984). A. pomo differs from A. longicaudus by smaller overall body size, nasals that do not extend posteriorly beyond the maxillaries, presence of the abductor digiti secundi muscle and a complete set of lumbricales muscles, and differences in number and morphology of chromosomes (Johnson and George, 1991)."

Key to the species of Arborimus

References

Adam MD, Hayes JP. 1998. Arborimus pomo. Mammalian Species (593):pp.1-5.

Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.

Johnson ML, George SB. 1991. Species limits within the Arborimus longicaudus species-complex (Mammalia: Rodentia) with a description of a new species from California. Contributions in Science (Los Angeles), 429:1-16.

Maser C, Storm RM. 1970. A key to Microtinae of the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, Idaho). O.S.U. Book Stores, Inc., Corvallis, Oregon, 162 pp.

Verts BJ, Carraway LN. 1984. Keys to the mammals of Oregon. Oregon State University Book Stores, Inc., Corvallis, Oregon, 178 pp.

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