Mountain water vole

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Mountain water vole
Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Burrowers (Cricetidae)
Subfamily : Voles (arvicolinae)
Tribe : Arvicolini
Genre : Water voles ( arvicola )
Type : Mountain water vole
Scientific name
Arvicola Scherman
Shaw , 1801
Distribution area of ​​the mountain water vole

The mountain vole ( Arvicola Scherman ) is a kind of the genus of voles ( Arvicola ) in the subfamily voles (Arvicolinae) within the family of the agitators (Cricetidae). Mountainous landscapes in northern Spain , central Europe and south-eastern Europe are part of their range . It is considered one of the most harmful rodent species in Europe's agriculture and is one of the main causes of economic loss in apple orchards in Asturias in north-western Spain , for example .

features

The mountain water vole was previously considered a subspecies of Arvicola amphibius ( Syn . : Arvicola terrestris ), but the two morphotypes are clearly two biological species. The amphibious form ( A. amphibius ) widespread in Eurasia is larger and with a shaggy fur, A. scherman is a smaller burrowing species, isolated in certain European mountains, with softer fur and reduced plantar and palmar tubercles . The upper incisors of the mountain water vole protrude clearly forward and are adapted to the burrowing way of life.

Habitat and way of life

The main area of ​​distribution of the mountain vole is the highlands, in the French Alps it occurs up to an altitude of 2,400 m. There, extensive structures, usually no deeper than one meter, are created in meadows and pastures, more rarely in forests. They are predominantly herbivores and feed on the plant cover in summer and on roots, bulbs and tubers in winter.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Arvicola scherman in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
  2. ↑ Aitor Somoano, Marcos Miñarro, Jacint Ventura: Reproductive potential of a vole pest (Arvicola scherman) in Spanish apple orchards. In: Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 14 (4): e1008, 2016. ( Online )
  3. ↑ Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder: Mammal Species of the World. 3rd edition. ( Arvicola Scherman Online )

Web link

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