Phaiomys leucurus Blyth 1863

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 : 1034

Phaiomys leucurus Blyth 1863

Phaiomys leucurus Blyth 1863 , J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 32: 89.

Type Locality: NW India, Ladakh, near Lake Chomoriri (= Tsomoriri).

Vernacular Names: Blyth's Mountain Vole.

Synonyms: Phaiomys blythi (Blanford 1875) ; Phaiomys everesti Thomas and Hinton 1922 ; Phaiomys petulans (Wroughton 1911) ; Phaiomys strauchi (Büchner 1889) ; Phaiomys tsaidamensis (Satunin 1903) ; Phaiomys waltoni (Bonhote 1905) ; Phaiomys zadoensis ( Zheng and Wang 1980) .

Distribution: Chinese provinces of S Xinjiang ( Zhang et al., 1997), S Qinghai ( Zheng and Wang, 1980) and Xizang ( Feng et al., 1986) on the Tibetan Plateau ( Hoffmann, 1996 a), and high altitudes in the Himalayas west to NW India (Jammu, Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, above 4500 m; Agrawal, 2000).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc) as Microtus leucurus .

Discussion: Revised by Zheng and Wang (1980); allocation of tsaidamensis to P. leucurus documented by Hoffmann (1996 a). Hoffmann provided a detailed historical review of expeditionary routes and collection sites of P. leucurus on the Tibetian Plateau, and recorded places of sympatry with Lasiopodomys fuscus (formerly included in leucurus ). Feng et al. (1986) also discussed and mapped distribution on the Tibetan Plateau (molar rows they illustrate are either incorrectly drawn or from another vole). Zheng and Wang (1980) recognized leucurus , waltoni , and zadoensis as subspecies. The older leucurus Gerbe, 1852 , is a synonym of nivalis , a species transferred from Microtus to Chionomys (see that account). Should nivalis ever be returned to Microtus , the name blythi would have to replace leucurus , a doubtful eventuality considering the great phylogenetic distance between Chionomys and species of Microtus .