Order Rodentia - Family Cricetidae Author Wilson, Don E. Author Reeder, DeeAnn text 2005 The Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2 955 1189 book chapter 0-8018-8221-4 10.5281/zenodo.7316535 Microtus (Terricola) daghestanicus Shidlovsky 1919 Microtus (Terricola) daghestanicus Shidlovsky 1919 , Raboty Zemskoi Opytnoi Stantsi, Vol. 2: 12 . Type Locality: Russia , Daghestan , Caucasus Mtns, Karda. Vernacular Names: Caucasus Pine Vole . Synonyms: Microtus (Terricola) intermedius Shidlovsky 1919 ; Microtus (Terricola) nasarovi (Schidlovsky 1938) ; Microtus (Terricola) suramensis Heptner 1948 . Distribution: N Caucasus Mtns (S Russia ) and S Caucasus from Georgia south to S Armenia and Azerbaijan ( Achverdjan et al., 1992 ) and in adjacent E Black Sea Mtns of NE Turkey (Kryštufek and Vohralík, 2001); possibly occurs in NW Iran . Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt) as M. nasarovi , Lower Risk (lc) as M. doghestanicus . Discussion: Subgenus Terricola , subterraneus species group ( Pavlinov and Rossolimo, 1998 ; Pavlinov et al., 1995 a ; Zagorodnyuk, 1990 ). Included in Pitymys subterraneus by Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951) or in P. majori by Corbet (1978 c ) . However, Kratochvíl and Kral (1974), Baskevich et al. (1984) , Achverdjan et al. (1992) , and Baskevich (1997) provided evidence that supports daghestanicus as a separate species, a stature broadly endorsed ( Gromov and Erbajeva, 1995 ; Pavlinov and Rossolimo, 1987 , 1998; Pavlinov et al., 1995 a ). Closely related to M. subterraneus and M. majori ( Baskevich, 1997 ; Macholán et al., 2001; Mezhzherin et al., 1995 ). Zima and Kral (1984 a ) reviewed chromosomal information. Bashkevich (1997) contributed other karyotypic and spermatozoal analyses and identified morphological traits potentially useful for discriminating M. daghestanicus and M. majori in sympatry. Within M. daghestanicus­ , although all geographic samples possess FN = 58, those from Armenia and Azerbaijan exhibit 11 karyomorphs ranging from 2n = 38 to 54 and those from the N Caucasus uniformly have 2n = 54 ( Achverdjan et al., 1992 ). Achverdjan et al. (1992) contrasted this pattern with M. majori (2n = 54, FN = 60) from the Caucasus and M. schelkovnikovi (2n = 54, FN = 62) from SE Azerbaijan , speculating that pine vole (subgenus Terricola ) evolution in the Caucasus either resulted in species with the same 2n but different fundamental numbers ( M. majori and M. schelkovnikovi ) or produced the same FN but variable diploid counts ( M. daghestanicus ). The taxon nasarovi has been included in M. majori ( Corbet, 1978 c ) or listed as a separate species ( Pavlinov and Rossolimo, 1987 ; Pavlinov et al., 1995 a ; Zagorodnyuk, 1990 ). Its chromosome complement (2n = 38 or 42, FN = 58) falls within the range of karyomorphs described for M. daghestanicus , prompting Achverdjan et al. (1992) and Gromov and Erbajeva (1995) to include it as a subjective synonym .