Clethrionomys californicus
| Western Red-backed Vole
(Clethrionomys californicus) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
| Superfamily: | Muroidea |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Tribe: | Clethrionomyini |
| Genus: | Clethrionomys |
| Binomial details | |
| Clethrionomys californicus (Merriam, 1890) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Description
From Alexander & Verts (1992): "Clethrionomys californicus has a chestnut brown to reddish brown dorsal stripe grading to dark gray or buffy gray on the sides and belly; the tail is long and indistinctly bicolored, dusky above and whitish below (Bailey, 1936; Ingles, 1965; Merriam, 1890). Juveniles are darker and have a less distinct median stripe on the dorsum (Bailey, 1936; Maser and Storm, 1970; Maser et al., 1981). C. c. californicus [western/coastal part of range] is darker than the other two subspecies with the red on the back "much obscured or sometimes wholly concealed by black"; C. c. mazama [central part of range] is lighter colored and C. c. obscurus [eastern part of range] is intermediate (Bailey, 1936: 191). The pelage is long and soft in winter and short and coarse in summer."
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) | 155–165 | 46–55 | 17–21 | 10–12 | 17–33 |
| Oregon (Cascade Range, high) | Verts & Carraway (1998) | females: 139–169 (n=21); males: 137–174 (n=25) | females: 42–60 (n=21); males: 42–62 (n=25) | females: 17–19 (n=21); males: 13–20 (n=25) | females: 20.8–25.4 (n=21); males: 11.8–30.9 (n=25) | |
| Oregon (Cascade Range, west slope) | Verts & Carraway (1998) | females: 128–160 (n=30); males: 135–167 (n=30) | females: 34–54 (n=30); males: 40–57 (n=30) | females: 16–20 (n=30); males: 16–20 (n=30) | females: 15.6–27.0 (n=30); males: 16.0–29.0 (n=30) | |
| Oregon (Coast Range) | Verts & Carraway (1998) | females: 128–168 (n=30); males: 117–163 (n=30) | females: 41–55 (n=30); males: 28–63 (n=30) | females: 16–21 (n=30); males: 15–20 (n=30) | females: 14.3–31.0 (n=30); males: 15.4–31.0 (n=30) |
Skull
Similar species
From Alexander & Verts (1992): "Clethrionomys californicus can be distinguished from sympatric vole-like mammals as follows: from Phenacomys (including Arborimus) by M3 possessing four loops of enamel on the lingual side and reentrant angles on lower molars not exceeding half the width of the teeth; from Microtus by molars rooted in adults and most loops of enamel on upper molars rounded; and from M. oregoni (of similar size) by an eye > 4 mm in diameter, four loops of enamel on lingual side of M3, and molars rooted in adults (Hall, 1981 ; Hall and Cockrum, 1953; Ingles, 1965; Verts and Carraway, 1984). C. californicus is distinguished from C. gapperi by posterior margin of palate with a thin triangular shelf (median spine-Bee and Hall, 1956; Maser and Storm, 1970; Verts and Carraway, 1984) and indistinct reddish stripe on dorsum (Hall and Cockrum, 1953); and from C. rutilus by postpalatal bridge complete even in half-grown young, pretympanic fenestra < 20% of a circle, tail slender, and hairs on tail short except on tip (Hall, 1981 ; Hall and Cockrum, 1953)."
References
Alexander LF, Verts BJ. 1992. Clethrionomys californicus. Mammalian Species (406): 1-6.
Bailey V. 1936. The mammals and life zones of Oregon. North American Fauna 55:1-416.
Bee JW, Hall ER. 1956. Mammals of northern Alaska. Miscellaneous Publication, University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, 8: 1-309.
Hall ER. 1981. The mammals of North America. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Hall ER, Cockrum EL. 1953. A synopsis of the North American microtine rodents. University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, 5:373-498.
Ingles LG. 1965. Mammals of the Pacific states: California, Oregon, and Washington. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 506 pp.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
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.
Maser C, Mate BR, Franklin JF, Dyrness CT. 1981. Natural history of Oregon coast mammals. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, General Technical Report, PNW-133:1-496.
Merriam CH. 1890. Descriptions of twenty-six new species of North American mammals. North American Fauna 4: 1-60.
Verts BJ, Carraway LN. 1984. Keys to the mammals of Oregon. Third ed. O.S.U. Book Stores, Inc., Corvallis, Oregon, 178 pp.