Castor fiber Linnaeus 1758

Castor fiber Linnaeus 1758, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., Vol. 1: 58.

Type Locality: Sweden.

Vernacular Names: Eurasian Beaver.

Synonyms: Castor albicus Matschie 1907; Castor albus Kerr 1792; Castor balticus Matschie 1907; Castor belarusicus Lavrov 1974; Castor belorussicus Lavrov 1981; Castor bielorussieus Lavrov 1983; Castor birulai Serebrennikov 1929; Castor flavus Desmarest 1822; Castor fulvus Bechstein 1801; Castor galliae É. Geoffroy 1803; Castor gallicus Fischer 1829; Castor introductus Saveljev 1997; Castor niger Desmarest 1822; Castor orientoeuropaeus Lavrov 1981; Castor osteuropaeus Lavrov 1974; Castor pohlei Serebrennikov 1929; Castor proprius Billberg 1833; Castor solitarius Kerr 1792; Castor tuvinicus Lavrov 1969; Castor variegatus Bechstein 1801; Castor varius Desmarest 1822; Castor vistulanus Matschie 1907 .

Distribution: Throughout N Eurasia, including Austria, Belarus, Belgium, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia (populations throughout), Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine; formerly extinct but reintroduced in many of these countries. See Nolet and Rosell (1998) and Véron (1992 a).

Conservation: U. S. ESA – Endangered as C. fiber birulai; IUCN – Critically Endangered as C. f. tuvinicus, Vulnerable as C. f. birulai and C. f. pohlei; otherwise Near Threatened.

Discussion: Reviewed by Heidecke (1986), who recognized eight subspecies, and Véron (1992 b), who recognized six; neither supported Lavrov (1983) in treating C. albicus as a separate species. Subspecific boundaries and resultant synonymies are unclear and further obscured by historical translocations and reintroductions.