Alticola argentatus
| Silvery mountain vole | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Tribe: | Myodini |
| Genus: | Alticola |
| Species: | A. argentatus |
| Binomial name | |
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Alticola argentatus (Severtzov, 1879) |
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The silvery mountain vole (Alticola argentatus) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. They are distinguished by their silver-grey pelage, long vibrissae, rootless hypsodont molars and angular skull shape. Like many mammals of the Eurasian Steppe eco-region, they are well adapted to life in high altitudes, and can be found in mountain areas of Central and North Asia from the Chukchi Peninsula in the north-east to Kugitang Range in the west, and to Tibet and the Himalayas in the south.
The phylogeny and life history of the Central Asian voles within the genus Alticola are not well understood. There are three subgenera of Alticola; Alticola s.str. containing the Silvery Mountain Vole, Aschizomys and Platycranius. Through a genetic analysis of the gene, subgenera Alticolas .str. and Platycranius have been found to form in a monophyletic clade, and have genetic differences with the Asian vole subgenera Aschisomys, with splitting of these subgenera occurring in the .
The Silvery Mountain Vole displays a broad spectrum of color variation, from a bright yellow to a dark brown. Color differences are thought to be correlated with a dryness gradient throughout the region and not altitude. This species' tail length varies considerably in individuals, from 32 to 51% of its body mass, and is almost hairless. The tail of this species is white in light-colored specimens and distinctly bicolored in dark animals. These voles are observed to be darkest in the fur on their back and the top of their head. Young animals start molting when they reach a body mass of 18-21g. Molting starts in March or April, and the autumn molt takes place in September or October.
Skull morphology has been found to vary in animals separated by space in this broad region. Skull length has been found to vary independently from body length. From comparative analysis in morphology, two sub populations have been found to exist; one being centered in the Tien-Shan region and a southern population being found in the Pamir-Hindu Kush mountain system. Like many rodents, the silvery mountain vole possesses hypsodont molars that are ever growing, and are adapted for feeding on fibrous material.
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Wikipedia