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Microtus californicus

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California Vole
(Microtus californicus)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:Rodentia
Suborder:Supramyomorpha
Infraorder:Myomorphi
Superfamily:Muroidea
Family:Cricetidae
Subfamily:Arvicolinae
Tribe:Microtini
Genus:Microtus
Subgenus:Pitymys
Binomial details
Microtus californicus (Peale, 1849)

Description

From Jameson & Peeters (2004): "A medium-sized vole with a faintly bicolored tail more than twice the length of the hind foot. It has six plantar tubercles."

From Cudworth & Koprowski (2010): "Microtus californicus is a medium-sized vole with light gray vibrissae, gray feet, and white near the anus (Verts and Carraway 1998). Dorsum is cinnamon-brown to tawny olive with dark brown to black hairs; venter fur is medium gray, occasionally washed with buff. Tail is bicolored, with black above and gray below (Verts and Carraway 1998). Subspecies inhabiting marsh lands (M. c. aestuarinus, M. c. vallicola, and M. c. scirpensis) tend to have a blackish dorsum; subspecies inhabiting the higher foothills (M. c. huperuthrus, M. c. sanctidiegi, and M. c. mariposae) are reddish (Kellogg 1918). M. c. constrictus is noticeably smaller (Kellogg 1918)."

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) 157–211 39–68 20–25 13–16 35–72


Skull

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Similar species

From Cudworth & Koprowski (2010): "Microtus californicus may be sympatric with 6 other species of Microtus (Hall 1981). Six plantar tubules and side glands on hips of males distinguish M. californicus from the North American water vole (M. richardsoni) and the creeping vole (M. oregoni), each with 5 plantar tubules and side glands on flanks or inconspicuous side glands, respectively (Hall 1981). M. californicus can be distinguished from Townsend's vole (M. townsendii), the gray-tailed vole (M. canicaudus), and the montane vole (M. montanus) by the lack of abrupt constriction of the incisive foramen, which is narrower posteriorly than anteriorly. The long-tailed vole (M. longicaudus) has a longer tail measuring greater than one-third the body length (Hall 1981). M. montanus and M. townsendii tend to occupy different ranges, further separating these species (Ingles 1965)."

References

Cudworth NL, Koprowski JL. 2010. Microtus californicus (Rodentia: Cricetidae). Mammalian Species 42(868):230-243.

Hall ER. 1981. The mammals of North America. 2 vols. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Ingles LG. 1965. Mammals of the Pacific states. Palo Alto (CA, USA): Stanford University Press.

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

Kellogg R. 1918. A revision of the Microtus californicus group of meadow mice. University of California Publications in Zoology 21:1-42.

Peale TR. 1848. Mammalia and ornithology. Reprint edition 1978. Arno Press Inc., New York.

Verts BJ, Carraway LN. 1998. Land mammals of Oregon. Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.

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