What is "microtus"

Arvicola \Arvicola\ n. a genus of mice in some classifications considered synonymous with {Microtus}.

Syn: genus Arvicola.

Microtus is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe, and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. About 62 species are placed in the genus. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs, and tails. They eat green vegetation such as grasses and sedges in summer, and grains, seeds, roots, and bark at other times. The genus is also called "meadow voles". (ITIS database) The species are:

• 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)

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)
• Southern vole (M. levis)
• Paradox vole (M. paradoxus)
• Qazvin vole (M. qazvinensis)
• Schidlovsky's vole (M. schidlovskii)
• Social vole (M. socialis)
• Transcaspian vole (M. transcaspicus)

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)
• Gerbe's vole (M. gerbei)
• 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)
• European pine vole (M. subterraneus)
• Tatra pine vole (M. tatricus)
• Thomas's pine vole (M. thomasi)

Subgenus Mynomes

• Beach vole (Microtus breweri)
• Gray-tailed vole (Microtus canicaudus)
• Montane vole (M. montanus)
• Creeping vole (M. oregoni)
• Meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus)
• Townsend's vole (M. townsendii)

Subgenus Alexandromys

• Clarke's vole (M. clarkei)
• Evorsk vole (M. evoronensis)
• Reed vole (M. fortis)
• Taiwan vole (M. kikuchii)
• Lacustrine vole (M. limnophilus)
• Maximowicz's vole (M. maximowiczii)
• Middendorf's vole (M. middendorffi)
• Mongolian vole (M. mongolicus)
• Japanese grass vole (M. montebelli)
• Muisk vole (M. mujanensis)
• Tundra vole or root vole (M. oeconomus) - several subspecies
• Sakhalin vole (M. sachalinensis)

Subgenus Stenocranius

• Narrow-headed vole (M. gregalis)

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)