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Phenacomys ungava

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Eastern Heather Vole
(Phenacomys ungava)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:Rodentia
Suborder:Supramyomorpha
Infraorder:Myomorphi
Superfamily:Muroidea
Family:Cricetidae
Subfamily:Arvicolinae
Tribe:Pliophenacomyini
Genus:Phenacomys
Binomial details
Phenacomys ungava Merriam, 1889

Phenacomys ungava currently is recognized as distinct from Phenacomys intermedius (Musser and Carleton, 2005). In the United States, Phenacomys ungava has been documented only in northeastern Minnesota.

Description

From Braun et al. (2013): "Phenacomys ungava is distinguished from the other species in the genus (P. intermedius) by external and cranial characters Howell 1926; Banfield 1974; George 1999a, 1999b; Reid 2006). The nose and eye rings of P. ungava are yellowish to reddish; in P. intermedius the coloration of the hairs of the nose and face is grayish brown. The tips of the ears of P. ungava are tawny or yellowish and a tuft of stiff orange hairs is present in front of each ear. In contrast, ear tufts are absent in P. intermedius and the ears are lightly lined with yellowish hairs. The dorsal coloration of P. ungava is grizzled dull brown often with a yellowish or tawny wash, particularly on the rump; the dorsal coloration is variable in P. intermedius, ranging from dark brown to gray brown to reddish brown, but lacks the yellowish wash. P. ungava differs from P. intermedius in having a larger cranium, larger auditory bulla, a elatively narrower interorbital region, and well-developed interorbital ridges (Howell 1926; Foster and Peterson 1961). The angle of the rostrum is strongly ownward in P. ungava and the palate has a well-defined, blunt median process (Howell 1926); in P. intermedius, the rostrum is only slightly angled and the morphology of the palate, although variable, is simpler and the median process is not well defined."

Phenacomys ungava observed in Quebec, Canada, by Jonathan Gagnon.

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
western portion of range Smith & Foster (1957) 111–152 (n=49) 23–40 (n=49) 17–20 (n=49) 15.5–46.7 (n=49)


References

Braun JK, Gonzalez-Perez SB, Street GM, Mook JM, Czaplewski NJ. 2013. Phenacomys ungava (Rodentia: Cricetidae). Mammalian Species 45(899): 18-29.

Merriam CH. 1889. Description of a new genus Phenacomys and four new species of Arvicolinae. North American Fauna 2: 27-45.

Musser GG, Carleton MD. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 in Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference (D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder, eds.). 3rd ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.

Smith DA, Foster JB. 1957. Notes on the small mammals of Churchill, Manitoba. Journal of Mammalogy 38:98-115

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