Alfred L. Gardner
Igor Ya. Pavlinov
Guy G. Musser
Michael D. Carleton
2014
<p><span>In view of contradictions in the recent literature, the valid genus-group name to be applied to northern red-backed voles— </span><i>Myodes</i><span> Pallas, 1811, or </span><i>Clethrionomys</i><span> Tilesius, 1850—is reviewed. To develop the thesis that </span><i>Myodes</i><span> (type species, </span><i>Mus rutilus</i><span> Pallas, 1779) is the correct name, our discussion explores the 19th-century taxonomic works that bear on the relevant taxa, the transition in zoological codes apropos the identification of type species, and past nomenclatural habits in cases where no type species was originally indicated. We conclude that </span><i>Myodes</i><span> is the senior name to use for the genus-group taxon that includes the Holarctic species </span><i>rutilus</i><span> and frame this conclusion within a synonymy of the genus.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1644/14-MAMM-A-004
en
American Society of Mammalogists
The valid generic name for red-backed voles (Muroidea: Cricetidae: Arvicolinae): Restatement of the case for Myodes Pallas, 1811
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