Tree vole

Taxobox
name = Tree voles


image_width = 200px
image_caption = Red Tree Vole
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Rodentia
familia = Cricetidae
subfamilia = Arvicolinae
genus = "Arborimus"
genus_authority = Taylor, 1915
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "Arborimus albipes"
"Arborimus longicaudus"
"Arborimus pomo"

The genus "Arborimus" is a group of voles found in western North America. The genus name means "tree mouse" in Latin.

These animals live in forested areas and two species live in trees. They are small rodents with short ears and long legs. They are primarily herbivorous. Predators include owls and mustelids.

Some sources include this genus with the heather voles, genus "Phenacomys".

Classification

The complete list of species is:
*White-footed Vole ("Arborimus albipes")
*Red Tree Vole ("Arborimus longicaudus")
*Sonoma Tree Vole ("Arborimus pomo")

Bellinger et al. (2005) and Blois and Arbogast (2006) determined on the basis of mitochondrial DNA that "A. pomo" and "A. albipes" are more closely related to one another than either are to "A. longicaudus". This is in contrast to previous suggestions that "A. albipes" is the most basal species in the genus (outlined in Musser and Carleton, 2005).

References

*Bellinger, R., S. Haig, E. Forsman, and T. Mullins. 2005. Taxonomic relationships among "Phenacomys" voles endemic to western United States. Journal of Mammalogy, 86:201-210.
*Blois, J. L. and B. S. Arbogast. 2006. Conservation genetics of the Sonoma Tree Vole ("Arborimus pomo") based on mitochondrial and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers. Journal of Mammalogy, 87:950-960.
*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. "In" Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
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