genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of small, slender
vole
Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of lo ...
s. In recent years the genus name was changed to ''Myodes'', however a 2019 paper found that ''Myodes'' was actually a
junior synonym
In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
...
for '' Lemmus'', thus making it unusable. As such, ''Clethrionomys'' is re-established as the proper genus name. At the same time, several species were moved to the genus ''
Craseomys
''Craseomys'' is a genus of small, slender voles.
The complete list of species is:
* Anderson's red-backed vole, ''C. andersoni''
*Imaizumi's red-backed vole, ''C. imaizumii''
* Korean red-backed vole, ''C. regulus''
* Hokkaido red-backed vole, ...
'', so members of both genera are referred to as red-backed voles. This genus was described by
Johannes von Nepomuk Franz Xaver Gistel
Johannes von Nepomuk Franz Xaver Gistel istl(11 August 1809 – 9 March 1873) was a German naturalist. He worked at the Museum of Natural History in Regensburg, and wrote on a range of topics under the pseudonyms Garduus and G. Tilesius (an ...
under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
"G. Tilesius". Some authors cite the
taxonomic authority
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are given ...
as "Gistel, 1850", whereas others still use "Tilesius, 1850".
The complete list of species is:
*
Western red-backed vole
The western red-backed vole (''Clethrionomys californicus'') is a species of vole in the family Cricetidae. It is found in California and Oregon in the United States and lives mainly in coniferous forest. The body color is chestnut brown, or brow ...
, ''Clethrionomys californicus''
*
Tien Shan red-backed vole
The Tien Shan red-backed vole (''Clethrionomys centralis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in the Tian Shan Mountains of northwestern China, southeastern Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
References
*Musser, G. G. an ...
Bank vole
The bank vole (''Clethrionomys glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Eu ...
, ''Clethrionomys glareolus''
*
Northern red-backed vole
The northern red-backed vole (''Clethrionomys rutilus'') is a small slender vole found in Alaska, northern Canada, Scandinavia and northern Russia.Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. Toronto, University of Toronto Press.
Description ...