Balkan Snow Vole
Encyclopedia
The Balkan Snow Vole, Dinaromys bogdanovi, also known as Martino's Snow Vole is the only member of the genus Dinaromys. Eight subspecies
of this vole
have been recognized from southern parts of Europe
. The genus name means "Dinaric mouse", referring to the Dinaric Alps
. The Balkan Snow Vole is a living fossil
, the only living genus in the tribe Pliomyini and might arguably better be placed in Pliomys
, a genus established for its fossil
relatives even before the Balkan Snow Vole was scientifically described.
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of this vole
Vole
A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...
have been recognized from southern parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The genus name means "Dinaric mouse", referring to the Dinaric Alps
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides form a mountain chain in Southern Europe, spanning areas of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro....
. The Balkan Snow Vole is a living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
, the only living genus in the tribe Pliomyini and might arguably better be placed in Pliomys
Pliomys
Pliomys is an extinct genus of forest voles, subfamily Arvicolinae, tribe Pliomyini . One member is the extinct species Pliomys episcopalis. The genus was described by Méhely in 1914, and is paraphyletic with respect to Dinaromys.-References:*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily...
, a genus established for its fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
relatives even before the Balkan Snow Vole was scientifically described.