Tundra vole

Species of rodent

Tundra vole
Tundra vole in Alaska
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Arvicolinae
Genus: Alexandromys
Species:
A. oeconomus
Binomial name
Alexandromys oeconomus
(Pallas, 1776)
Synonyms[1]
  • Microtus oeconomus (Pallas, 1776)
  • Mus oeconomus Pallas, 1776

The tundra vole (Alexandromys oeconomus) or root vole is a medium-sized vole found in Northern and Central Europe, Asia, and northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada.[2] In the western part of the Netherlands, the tundra vole is a relict from the ice age and has developed into the subspecies Alexandromys oeconomus arenicola.

Description

The tundra vole has short ears and a short tail. Its fur is yellowish brown with paler sides and white underparts. It is typically about 18 cm (7.1 in) long with a 4 cm (1.6 in) tail and a weight of about 50 grams (1.8 oz).

Habitat

The tundra vole is found in damp tundra or moist meadows, usually near water.

Behaviour and diet

This species makes runways through the surface growth in warm weather and tunnels through the snow in winter. It feeds on grasses, sedges and seeds. It is active year-round. It also digs burrows where it stores seeds and roots, especially licorice root, for the winter.

Breeding

Female voles have three to six litters of three to nine young in a shallow burrow. The vole population in a given area can vary greatly from year to year.

Subspecies

Subspecies are as follows:[3]

  • A. o. amakensis - Amak Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States
  • A. o. arenicola - Dutch tundra vole - Netherlands
  • A. o. elymocetes - Montague Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States
  • A. o. finmarchicus - Norwegian tundra vole - Norway
  • A. o. innuitus - St. Lawrence Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States
  • A. o. medius - Norwegian tundra vole - Norway
  • A. o. mehelyi - Central European tundra vole - Austria, Hungary and Slovakia
  • A. o. oeconomus - nominate subspecies - widespread
  • A. o. popofensis - Shumagin Islands tundra vole - Alaska, United States
  • A. o. punakensis - Punuk Islands tundra vole - Alaska, United States
  • A. o. sitkensis - Alexander Archipelago tundra vole - Alaska, United States
  • A. o. unalascensis - Unalaska Island tundra vole - Alaska, United States

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Microtus oeconomus.
  1. ^ a b Linzey, A.V.; Shar, S.; Lkhagvasuren, D.; Juškaitis, R.; Sheftel, B.; Meinig, H.; Amori, G. & Henttonen, H. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Microtus oeconomus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T13451A115113894. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T13451A22347188.en. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Alexandromys oeconomus". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists.
  3. ^ Witte van den Bosch, R. and Bekker, D. (2009). Verdwijnt de oer-Hollandse lemming? Geschiedenis en toekomst van de noordse woelmuis. Zoogdier 20-4: p.p 3-7. (in Dutch)
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Extant species of subfamily Arvicolinae
Arvicolini
Arvicola
(Water voles)
  • European water vole (A. amphibius)
  • Southwestern water vole (A. sapidus)
  • Montane water vole (A. scherman)
Microtini
Alexandromys
  • Clarke's vole (M. clarkei)
  • Evorsk vole (M. evoronensis)
  • Reed vole (M. fortis)
  • Gerbe's vole (M. gerbei)
  • Taiwan vole (M. kikuchii)
  • Lacustrine vole (M. limnophilus)
  • Maximowicz's vole (M. maximowiczii)
  • Middendorff's vole (M. middendorffi)
  • Mongolian vole (M. mongolicus)
  • Japanese grass vole (M. montebelli)
  • Muisk vole (M. mujanensis)
  • Tundra vole (M. oeconomus)
  • Sakhalin vole (M. sachalinensis)
Chionomys
(Snow voles)
  • Caucasian snow vole (C. gud)
  • European snow vole (C. nivalis)
  • Robert's snow vole (C. roberti)
Hyperacrius
(Voles from Pakistan)
  • True's vole (H. fertilis)
  • Murree vole (H. wynnei)
Lasiopodomys
  • Brandt's vole (L. brandtii)
  • Plateau vole (L. fuscus)
  • Mandarin vole (L. mandarinus)
Lemmiscus
  • Sagebrush vole (L. curtatus)
Microtus
(Voles)
  • Subgenus Microtus: Field vole (M. agrestis)
  • Anatolian vole (M. anatolicus)
  • Common vole (M. arvalis)
  • Cabrera's vole (M. cabrerae)
  • Doğramaci's vole (M. dogramacii)
  • Günther's vole (M. guentheri)
  • Tien Shan vole (M. ilaeus)
  • Persian vole (M. irani)
  • Kerman vole (M. kermanensis)
  • Southern vole (M. levis)
  • Paradox vole (M. paradoxus)
  • Qazvin vole (M. qazvinensis)
  • Schidlovsky's vole (M. schidlovskii)
  • Social vole (M. socialis)
  • European pine vole (M. subterraneus)
  • Transcaspian vole (M. transcaspicus)
  • Subgenus Blanfordimys: Afghan vole (B. afghanus)
  • Bucharian vole (B. bucharicus)
  • Juniper vole (B. juldaschi)
  • Subgenus Terricola: Bavarian pine vole (M. bavaricus)
  • Calabria pine vole (M. brachycercus)
  • Daghestan pine vole (M. daghestanicus)
  • Mediterranean pine vole (M. duodecimcostatus)
  • Felten's vole (M. felteni)
  • Liechtenstein's pine vole (M. liechtensteini)
  • Lusitanian pine vole (M. lusitanicus)
  • Major's pine vole (M. majori)
  • Alpine pine vole (M. multiplex)
  • Savi's pine vole (M. savii)
  • Tatra pine vole (M. tatricus)
  • Thomas's pine vole (M. thomasi)
  • Subgenus Mynomes: Beach Vole (M. breweri)
  • Gray-tailed vole (M. canicaudus)
  • Montane vole (M. montanus)
  • Creeping vole (M. oregoni)
  • Meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus)
  • Townsend's vole (M. townsendii)
  • Subgenus Pitymys: Guatemalan vole (M. guatemalensis)
  • Tarabundí vole (M. oaxacensis)
  • Woodland Vole (M. pinetorum)
  • Jalapan pine vole (M. quasiater)
  • Subgenus Pedomys: Prairie vole (M. ochrogaster)
  • Subgenus Hyrcanicola: Schelkovnikov's pine vole (M. schelkovnikovi)
  • incertae sedis: Insular vole (M. abbreviatus)
  • California vole (M. californicus)
  • Rock vole (M. chrotorrhinus)
  • Long-tailed vole (M. longicaudus)
  • Mexican vole (M. mexicanus)
  • Singing vole (M. miurus)
  • Water vole (M. richardsoni)
  • Zempoaltépec vole (M. umbrosus)
  • Taiga vole (M. xanthognathus)
Neodon
(Mountain voles)
  • Forrest's mountain vole (N. forresti)
  • Chinese scrub vole (N. irene)
  • Linzhi mountain vole (N. linzhiensis)
  • Sikkim mountain vole (N. sikimensis)
  • Blyth's vole (N. leucurus)
Proedromys
Stenocranius
  • Narrow-headed vole (S. gregalis)
  • Radde's vole (S. raddei)
Volemys
  • Szechuan vole (V. millicens)
  • Marie's vole (V. musseri)
Dicrostonychini
(Collared lemmings)
Dicrostonyx
  • Northern collared lemming (D. groenlandicus)
  • Ungava collared lemming (D. hudsonius)
  • Nelson's collared lemming (D. nelsoni)
  • Ogilvie Mountains collared lemming (D. nunatakensis)
  • Richardson's collared lemming (D. richardsoni)
  • Arctic lemming (D. torquatus)
  • Unalaska collared lemming (D. unalascensis)
Ellobiusini
(mole voles)
Ellobius
(Mole voles)
  • Alai mole vole (E. alaicus)
  • Southern mole vole (E. fuscocapillus)
  • Transcaucasian mole vole (E. lutescens)
  • Northern mole vole (E. talpinus)
  • Zaisan mole vole (E. tancrei)
Lagurini
(Steppe lemmings)
Eolagurus
  • Yellow steppe lemming (E. luteus)
  • Przewalski's steppe lemming (E. przewalskii)
Lagurus
  • Steppe lemming (L. lagurus)
Lemmini
(Lemmings)
Lemmus
(True lemmings)
  • Amur lemming (L. amurensis)
  • Norway lemming (L. lemmus)
  • Beringian lemming (L. nigripes)
  • Wrangel Island lemming (L. paulus)
  • Siberian brown lemming (L. sibiricus)
  • North American brown lemming (L. trimucronatus)
Myopus
  • Wood lemming (M. schisticolor)
Synaptomys
(Bog lemmings)
  • Northern bog lemming (S. borealis)
  • Southern bog lemming (S. cooperi)
Clethrionomyini
Alticola
(Voles from
Central Asia)
  • Subgenus Alticola: White-tailed mountain vole (A. albicauda)
  • Silver mountain vole (A. argentatus)
  • Gobi Altai mountain vole (A. barakshin)
  • Central Kashmir vole (A. montosa)
  • Royle's mountain vole (A. roylei)
  • Mongolian silver vole (A. semicanus)
  • Stolička's mountain vole (A. stoliczkanus)
  • Tuva silver vole (A. tuvinicus)
  • Subgenus Aschizomys: Lemming vole (A. lemminus)
  • Large-eared vole (A. macrotis)
  • Lake Baikal mountain vole (A. olchonensis)
  • Subgenus Platycranius: Flat-headed vole (A. strelzowi)
Caryomys
  • Ganzu vole (C. eva)
  • Kolan vole (C. inez)
Eothenomys
(Voles from
East Asia)
  • Kachin red-backed vole (E. cachinus)
  • Pratt's vole (E. chinensis)
  • Southwest China vole (E. custos)
  • Père David's vole (E. melanogaster)
  • Yunnan red-backed vole (E. miletus)
  • Chaotung vole (E. olitor)
  • Yulungshan vole (E. proditor)
  • Ward's red-backed vole (E. wardi)
Clethrionomys
(some Red-backed
voles)
  • Western red-backed vole (C. californicus)
  • Tien Shan red-backed vole (C. centralis)
  • Southern red-backed Vole (C. gapperi)
  • Bank vole (C. glareolus)
  • Imaizumi's red-backed vole (C. imaizumii)
  • Northern red-backed vole (C. rutilus)
  • Shansei vole (C. shanseius)
Craseomys
(other Red-backed
voles)
  • Japanese red-backed vole (C. andersoni)
  • Royal vole (C. regulus)
  • Hokkaido red-backed vole (C. rex)
  • Grey red-backed vole (C. rufocanus)
  • Smith's vole (C. smithii)
Ondatrini
Neofiber
  • Round-tailed muskrat (N. alleni)
Ondatra
  • Muskrat (O. zibethicus)
Pliomyini
Dinaromys
  • Balkan snow vole (D. bogdanovi)
Pliophenacomyini
Arborimus
(Tree voles)
  • White-footed vole (A. albipes)
  • Red tree vole (A. longicaudus)
  • California red tree mouse (A. pomo)
Phenacomys
(Heather voles)
  • Western heather vole (P. intermedius)
  • Eastern heather vole (P. ungava)
Prometheomyini
Prometheomys
  • Long-clawed mole vole (P. schaposchnikowi)
Taxon identifiers
Microtus oeconomus
Mus oeconomus