Specimen image via iDigBio · BY
Arvicola
Sign in to saveWater voles are large voles in the genus Arvicola. They are found in both aquatic and dry habitat through Europe and much of northern Asia. A water vole found in Western North America was historically considered a member of this genus, but has been shown to be more closely related to members of the genus Microtus. Head and body lengths are , tail lengths are , and their weights are . The animals may exhibit indeterminate growth. They are thick-furred and have hairy fringes on their feet that improve their swimming ability.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderRodentia
- FamilyCricetidae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 114
- With media
- 4
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Collections
- NHMUK, AMNH, UCLA, YPM, UMZC, MSB
- Recorded in
- United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, Kenya, Italy, Iran
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Arvicolinae
- Image
- Arvicola terrestris.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- taxon name
- Arvicola
- Commons category
- Arvicola
- taxon rank
- genus
- topic's main category
- Category:Arvicola
- temporal range start
- Pleistocene
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Encyclopedic overview
3 sectionsContents
- Species
- References
- Further reading
Water voles are large voles in the genus Arvicola. They are found in both aquatic and dry habitat through Europe and much of northern Asia. A water vole found in Western North America was historically considered a member of this genus, but has been shown to be more closely related to members of the genus Microtus. Head and body lengths are , tail lengths are , and their weights are . The animals may exhibit indeterminate growth. They are thick-furred and have hairy fringes on their feet that improve their swimming ability.
A 2021 phylogenetic study using mtDNA found that Arvicola may not belong with the rest of its namesake tribe Arvicolini, but rather forms a sister group to the tribe Lagurini.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Arvicola” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.