Mexican vole

Mexican vole
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Cricetidae
Subfamily:	Arvicolinae
Genus:	Microtus
Species:	M. mexicanus
Binomial name
Microtus mexicanus (Saussure, 1861)
Synonyms
Microtus mogollonensis (Mearns, 1890)

The Mexican vole (Microtus mexicanus) is a species of vole.

The Hualapai Mexican vole (M. m. hualapaiensis) was formerly recognized as a subspecies and was a protected taxon under the United States Endangered Species Act until 2017. Several other populations of the vole were previously named subspecies but are no longer recognized as distinct.

This species has a disjunct distribution in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It can be found in grasslands and other habitat types and is generally adaptable to a range of climate types.

The Mexican vole mainly feeds on grasses and the roots of shrubs and trees.(Beacham, 2000) In several studies, the Mexican vole was baited using two plant products, barley and oatmeal.(Hilton, 1992) It has also been noted to eat monarch butterflies.(Brower, 1985)

The earliest description of the species was in 1861 by Swiss entomologist Henri de Saussure, a Swiss entomologist. Separate populations which appeared to have different morphologies were sometimes named subspecies, such as Microtus mexicanus mogollonensis, M. m. hualpaiensis, and M. m. navaho. Research continues on the relationships of different clades within the species.

References[]

Hilton, Barry L. “Reproduction in the Mexican Vole, Microtus Mexicanus.” Journal of Mammalogy, vol. 73, no. 3, 1992, pp. 586–590. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1382029. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.

"Hualapai Mexican Vole." Beacham's Guide to the Endangered Species of North America, edited by Walton Beacham, et al., vol. 1: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Gale, 2000, pp. 206–208. Gale eBooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3400600069/GVRL?u=sunysb&sid=GVRL&xid=8c5bcb08. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Hualapai Mexican Vole From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. (2017, June 23). Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/06/23/2017-13162/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-removal-of-the-hualapai-mexican-vole-from-the-federal

Davis, Russell and Callahan, J. R. (1992) "Post-pleistocene dispersal in the Mexican vole (Microtus mexicanus): an example of an apparent trend in the distribution of southwestern mammals," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 52 : No. 3, Article 8. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol52/iss3/8

Johnson, V. (2017). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Hualapai Mexican Vole From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Federal Register, 82(120), 28582-28588. Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/06/23/2017-13162/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-removal-of-the-hualapai-mexican-vole-from-the-federal#:~:text=The%20three%20subspecies%20of%20Mexican,%2C%20Navajo%20Mexican%20vole%20(M. Brower, Lincoln P., et al. “Mice (Peromyscus Maniculatus, P. Spicilegus, and Microtus Mexicanus) as Predators of Overwintering Monarch Butterflies (Danaus Plexippus) in Mexico.” Biotropica, vol. 17, no. 2, 1985, pp. 89–99. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2388500. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.

Microtus mexicanus (Saussure, 1861) in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2020-11-03

Microtus mexicanus subsp. navaho Benson, 1934 in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2020-11-03.

Microtus mexicanus subsp. hualpaiensis Goldman, 1938 in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2020-11-03.

Microtus mogollonensis (Mearns, 1890) in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2020-11-03.

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