FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   >>  
ius_. Large series of specimens of this subgenus, from the Arctic Slope of Alaska, are in the Museum of Natural History of the University of Kansas. Study of these indicates that the differences, which Rausch (_op. cit._:136) described as distinguishing his _M. m. paneaki_ from _M. muriei_, result from differences in age of the specimens, and possibly in part from differences in seasonal condition of pelage. For example, Rausch thought that _M. m. paneaki_ was larger than _M. muriei_ but our specimens reveal that such is not the case. The measurements given below of the type specimen of _M. muriei_ (after Nelson, original description) and measurements (in parentheses) of an immature female (43807 K. U.) of _Microtus miurus muriei_ from Chandler Lake, 68 deg. 12', 152 deg. 45', 2900 ft., Alaska, show close correspondence in size. Total length, 119 (122); tail vertebrae, 24 (24); hind foot, 20 (20); condylobasal length, 24.3 (24.5); zygomatic breadth, 10.7 (11.0); greatest width of braincase, 9.0 (9.0); length of nasals, 6.5 (6.0); basal width of rostrum, 4.0 (4.3). In the light of all of the evidence now available, it seems best to treat _Microtus miurus paneaki_ Rausch as a synonym of _Microtus muriei_ Nelson. Quay (Jour. Mamm., 32:95, February 15, 1951) identified fifty-eight specimens from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska as _Microtus miurus oreas_ Osgood. Through the courtesy of Dr. Charles P. Lyman, fifteen of Quay's specimens in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College have been examined by one of us (Hall). These specimens are as follows: Lava Lake (43378, 43379, 43381, 43382, 43386, 43467 and 43478); Mt. Boyan (43384, 43385, 43463 and 43477); Anvil Hill [= Peak], Cooper Gulch (43377, 43464 and 43473); ----? Lake, 43383. Although we are not prepared to say that these specimens are _M. m. muriei_, they seem to resemble _M. m. muriei_ as closely as they do any other named form and we here refer them to that subspecies. The facts are that a critical taxonomic study of the American specimens of the subgenus _Stenocranius_ is required in order to ascertain the geographic variation. One of us (Hall) has examined the holotypes of the kinds named from Alaska, and the material listed by R. Baker (Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 5:109) of the two kinds named from Canada. The degree and nature of the variation shown by these specimens lead us to the conclusion that all are of a single species. If the America
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   >>  



Top keywords:
specimens
 

muriei

 

Alaska

 
Microtus
 

Rausch

 

length

 
paneaki
 

differences

 

miurus

 
Nelson

variation

 

measurements

 

examined

 
Kansas
 
Museum
 

subgenus

 

Although

 

prepared

 
Cooper
 

Comparative


Zoology

 

Harvard

 

fifteen

 

Charles

 

College

 

Arctic

 

Natural

 

holotypes

 

material

 

listed


single

 

species

 
America
 

conclusion

 

Canada

 
degree
 

nature

 

series

 

resemble

 

closely


subspecies

 

ascertain

 
geographic
 

required

 

Stenocranius

 
critical
 

taxonomic

 
American
 
courtesy
 
Osgood