European Water Vole species (1 Viewer)

[lazza]

I have been updating my "pan species" list in the last few days, with observations made on a couple of visits to Spain this year.

But I am wondering about a Water Vole that I saw on my April visit to the Alicante/Elche region. I assumed at the time that it was a European Water Vole, but having now done a bit of research, it looks like it might have been a Southwestern Water Vole. All sources seem to agree that these are now considered to be different species, but depending which resource I read, the "northern" species is not found in Iberia, or it is! If it is not, then I have my identity, but if the two coexist, then I don't!

Can anyone advise, please?

 

[honeym]

There seem to be some quite strange things going on and I think it's covered by Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
Fauna Europaea seems to differ from other websites regarding their taxonomy & nomenclature.
Martin

 

[Mike Richardson]

In short Southern Water Vole and European Water Voles have been considered different species for quite some time. Southern Water Vole (Arvicola sapidus) is restricted to Spain, Portugal and France and will be the one you saw on your trip (no other water vole species occurs in the region).

What confuses matters is European Water Vole (formally Arvicola terrestris) has recently been split into Montane Water Vole (A. scherman)and Northern/European (A. amphibius) Water Vole. Montane Water Vole is far less amphibious then N. Water Vole and occurs in mountain grasslands including those in northern Spain.

 

[honeym]

I'd love to know what this split and naming is based on, especially with reference to type specimens.
Both terrestris aquaticus are Linnaean names dating from 1758 (p. 61 with the former having page priority and a type specimen) but only the former was known to Linnaeus - the latter was described from other literature sources (Bell. and Ray) and the 'habitat' is given as Europe and Africa.
Does anyone know the paper where this split was done.
Just curious.
Martin