Microtus (Microtus) agrestis (Linnaeus 1761)

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 : 990

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.7316535
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/50012247-E620-6024-5671-7F898221AFB5
treatment provided by	Guido
scientific name	Microtus (Microtus) agrestis (Linnaeus 1761)
status

Treatment

[Mus] agrestis Linnaeus 1761 , Fauna Suecica, 2nd ed.: 11.

Type Locality: Sweden, Uppsala.

Vernacular Names: Field Vole.

Distribution: Britain and nearby small islands (except Ireland); continental distribution extends from Scandinavia and Baltic region ( Miljutin, 1997, 1998; Timm et al., 1998) east through Siberia to the Lena River; in the south from N and C Portugal, Pyrennes of N Spain (Brunet-Lecomte, 1991; Castiens and Gosalbez, 1992; Torre et al., 1996), France, Belgium, Netherlands ( Lange, 1992), Germany ( Dolch et al., 1994), Switzerland ( Hausser, 1995), Austria, Czech Republic (Andĕra and Červený, 1994; Šmaha, 1996), Slovakia ( Danko, 1994; Kminiak, 1996; Mošanský, 1994; Stanko, 1995; Stanko and Mošanský, 1994, 2000; Stanko et al., 2000), N Italy ( Amori et al., 1999; Locatelli and Paolucci, 1996 a), Poland, Hungary, Slovenia (Kryštufek, 1991), east through N Croatia and N Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Petrov, 1992), N Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, and Kazhakstan to S Urals, Altai Mtns, NW China ( NW Xinjiang; Zhang et al., 1997), and Lake Baikal region ( Corbet, 1978 c; Krapp and Niethammer, 1982; Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion:

Subgenus Microtus , agrestis species group sensu Zagorodnyuk (1990) . Considered a member of subgenus Microtus by Pavlinov et al. (1995 a), Gromov and Erbajeva (1995), and Meyer et al. (1996), but placed in subgenus Agricola by Zagorodnyuk (1990). Although once regarded as conspecific with North American M. pennsylvanicus on morphological grounds ( Klimkiewicz, 1970), chomosomal differences indicate those similarities to represent convergence, not phylogenetic alliance ( Vorontsov and Lyapunova, 1976; Zagorodnyuk, 1990). Phylogenetic inference based on cytochrome b sequences also widely separated M. agrestis from any North American Microtus ( Conroy and Cook, 2000 a) , and allozymic analysis isolated it by large genetic distances from nine other Eurasian Microtus sampled ( Mezhzherin et al., 1993).

Distribution in Portugal, Spain and France and morphometric discrimination from other Microtus and Chionomys in the region documented by Madureira (1983). Kooij et al. (1997) employed multivariate analyses to identify dentaries extracted from owl pellets as either M. agrestis or M. arvalis ; Brunet-Lecomte et al. (1996) confidently discriminated the two species based on analysis of m1s; Kapischke (1992) recognized six distinct molar surface patterns in samples from Germany. Chromosomal data reviewed by Zima and Kral (1984 a). Almaça (1993) assessed variation in pelage color, morphometrics, and dental traits among samples from N Portugal, Massif Central of France, and French lowlands and found little support for traditional subspecies but detected clinal variation between highland and lowland populations. Sequence analysis of mitochondrial DNA subdivided Eurasian M. agrestis into three allopatric clades, suggesting extended isolation in different glacial refugia ( Jaarola and Searle, 2002): western (W and C Europe, spreading from the Carpathians); eastern ( Lithuania to C Asia, originating from the S Urals or Caucasus); and southern ( Portugal to Hungary, expanding from the Iberian Peninsula and perhaps representing a separate species)

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Rodentia
Family	Cricetidae
Genus	Microtus