Microtus (Microtus) schidlovskii Argyropulo 1933

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Cricetidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 955-1189 : 1015

Microtus (Microtus) schidlovskii Argyropulo 1933

Microtus (Microtus) schidlovskii Argyropulo 1933 , Z. Saugetierk., 8: 182.

Type Locality: Transcaucasia, NW Armenia, Leninakan Dist., "vicinity of Nalband railway station, 35 km E from Leninakan" ( Golenishchev et al., 2002:53), 1200 m.

Vernacular Names: Schidlovsky's Vole.

Synonyms: Microtus (Microtus) colchicus Argyropulo 1932 ; Microtus (Microtus) goriensis Argyropulo 1935 .

Distribution: Transcaucasia, recorded from W Armenia and Georgia ( Ahverdyan et al., 1991 b); limits unresolved.

Discussion: Subgenus Microtus , socialis species group ( Zagorodnyuk, 1990). Placed in subgenus Sumeriomys by Gromov and Erbajeva (1995). Long included in M. socialis ( Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1951; Pavlinov and Rossolimo, 1987; Pavlinov et al., 1995 a). Pavlinov and Rossolimo (1998) and Kryštufek and Kefelioğlu (2002) also questioned the separate status for schidlovskii , and Pavlinov and Rossolimo (1998) placed it in the synonymy of M. socialis with reservation. Reinstated as species by Ahverdyan et al. (1991 a, 1991 b), who demonstrated that hybridization between schidlovskii (2n and FN = 60-62) and M. socialis (2n and FN = 62) produced only sterile F1s and analyzed supportive chromosomal and morphological data. Species status reaffirmed by Golenishchev et al. (2002) based on bacular morphology and hybridization trials. Gromov and Erbajeva (1995) listed goriensis (a replacement name for colchicus ) as a subspecies.