Lemmiscus curtatus
| Sagebrush Vole
(Lemmiscus curtatus) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
| Superfamily: | Muroidea |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Tribe: | Microtini |
| Genus: | Lemmiscus |
| Binomial details | |
| Lemmiscus curtatus (Cope, 1868) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Description
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "The sagebrush vole is a small, distinctly short-tailed vole with dense, long, soft pelage. The dorsal pelage is buff-gray to gray with the sides paler in color. The venter is buff to silver-gray and the tail is indistinctly bicolored. Hairs are dark gray at their bases. The tail is well haired by short, only about as long as the hindfoot. The ears are small, averaging slightly more than half the length of the hindfoot. The posterior soles of the feet are well haired."
From Verts & Carraway (1998): "The long, soft, and dense dorsal pelage is grayish tan; the bases of the hairs are lead colored and the tips are black. The ventral pelage is pale buff, the feet light gray, and tail slightly bicolored. The soles of the feet are densely furred posteriorly. Most adults possess six plantar tubercles, but a few adults and many juveniles possess only five (Johnston et al., 1948)." Additionally, "the tail does not exceed the length of the hind feet by >10 mm."
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) | 108–140 | 15–26 | 15–18 | 20–30 | |
| Colorado | Armstrong et al. (2010) | 100–142 | 16–30 | 14–18 | 9–16 | 17–38 |
| North Dakota | Seabloom et al. (2020) | 115 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 25 |
Skull
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "The skull is generally similar to that of other arvicolines but has well-developed auditory bullae that extend back beyond the occipital condyles and hence are readily visible from above. The last upper and lower molars typically have only 4 dentine lakes... The pattern of the lakes consists of anterior and posterior loops separated by 2 more or less triangular-shaped prisms. The inner and outer reentrant angles are about in equal in depth. The molars are ever-growing."
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Lateral view of the skull of Lemmiscus curtatus. The skull is flat in profile and may have a noticeable depression in the frontal region (Naughton, 2012). -
Dorsal view of the skull of Lemmiscus curtatus. -
Ventral view of the skull of Lemmiscus curtatus. -
Dorsal view of the lower jaw of Lemmiscus curtatus. -
The upper incisors of Lemmiscus curtatus lack grooves. -
Upper molars of Lemmiscus curtatus. Each upper third molar (M3) has a small closed triangle on the labial side (black arrows). -
Lower molars of Lemmiscus curtatus. Each lower third molar (m3) has 3 enclosed triangles and a posterior closed loop. Black arrows point to the three enclosed triangles on the left m3. The third lower molars typically have only 4 dentine lakes (Armstrong, 2010).
Similar species
Comparison with Phenacomys intermedius
Juveniles and subadults of Western Heather Vole (Phenacomys intermedius) may be confused with adults of Lemmiscus curtatus. Common habitats of Phenacomys intermedius include open coniferous forests with a shrubby understory, riparian areas with thickets, forest edges, and moist alpine and subalpine meadows. Common habitats of Lemmiscus curtatus include sagebrush and rabbitbrush mixed with bunchgrass.
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Western Heather Vole (Phenacomys intermedius) -
Western Heather Vole (Phenacomys intermedius), subadult -
Lemmiscus curtatus
References
Armstrong DM, Fitzgerald JP, Meaney CA. 2010. Mammals of Colorado, Second Edition. Denver (CO, USA): University Press of Colorado.
Cope ED. 1868-06-08. E. D. Cope made some observations on some specimens of Vertebrata presented by Wm. M. Gabb, of San Francisco. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 20(1):2.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Seabloom R, Hoganson JW, Jensen WF. 2020. The mammals of North Dakota. Fargo (ND, USA): North Dakota State University Press.
Verts BJ, Carraway LN. 1998. Land mammals of Oregon. Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.