Microtus (Terricola) thomasi Barrett-Hamilton 1903

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Cricetidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 955-1189 : 1018

Microtus (Terricola) thomasi Barrett-Hamilton 1903

Microtus (Terricola) thomasi Barrett-Hamilton 1903 , Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, 11: 306.

Type Locality: Montenegro, Vranici.

Vernacular Names: Thomas's Pine Vole.

Synonyms: Microtus (Terricola) atticus (Miller 1910) ; Microtus (Terricola) byroni (Bolkay 1926) .

Distribution: Endemic to SW Balkans, from the Neretva River in Herzegovina through Montenegro, Albania and mainland Greece to the Peloponessos (including Euboea Isl).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt).

Discussion: Subgenus Terricola , duodecimcostatus species group (Chaline et al., 1988; Pavlinov et al., 1995 a) or sole member of thomasi species group ( Zagorodnyuk, 1990). Generally reviewed by Niethammer (1982 k) and Petrov (1992); taxonomic history reviewed by Brunet-Lecomte and Nadachowski (1994). Karyotype is polymorphic, 2n = 40 to 44 and FN = 42 to 46 ( Giagia-Athanasopoulou et al., 1995; Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999; Zima and Kral, 1984 a). Based on morphometric analysis of m1s, M. thomasi is strongly divergent from six other species examined in subgenus Terricola ( Brunet-Lecomte and Nadachowski, 1994) , a finding that supports species-group isolation ( Zagorodnyuk, 1990). Synonymy of atticus confirmed by microcomplement fixation comparisons of albumin ( Nikoletopoulos et al., 1992), m1 morphometry ( Brunet-Lecomte and Nadachowski, 1994), and morphometric and allozymic variation ( Tsekoura et al., 2002).