MAMMALIAN SPECIES Alticola argentatus. No. 625, pp. 1--4, 3 figs. By Adam Nadachowski and Jim I. Mead Published 3 December 1999 by the American Society of Mammalogists Alticola argentatus (Severtzov, 1879) Silvery Mountain Vole Arvicola argentata Severtzov, 1879:63. Type locality "Alichur," Murgabskiy Raion, Pamir Mountains, Tadzhikistan . Arvicola blanfordi Scull y, 1880:399 . Type locality "C ilgit, Kash- mir" (Pakistan). Arvicola severtzovi Tichomirov and Korchagin, 1889:28. Type lo- cality "Mashat (= "Massat"), Karatau" Range, Tiulkubasskiy Raion , 'Chimkentskaya oblast,' Kazakhstan . Alticola worthingtoni Miller, 1906:372 . Type localit y "Tian Shan Mountains (Koksu), altitude 9,000 feet [2,743 m],' Terek Riv- er Basin, Khalik -Tau, Sink iang, China. Microtus (Alticola) argurus Thomas, 1909:264. Type locality His- sar Mountains, 9,500 feet [2,895 m], 100 mi [160 km], east of Samarkand, Tadzhikistan. Alticola phasma Miller, 1912 :59. Type locality "eastern side of Kara Korum [Karakorum] Mts., Chinese Turkestan ," Sin Ki- ang, China. Alticola glacialis Miller, 1913:197. Type localit y "Chogo Lungma Glacier (altitude 11,000 feet [3,352 m]), Baltistan," Kashm ir, India. Alti cola gra cilis Kashk arov, 1923 :203. Type localit y Besh-tash ra- vine, Tzlassk Ala-Tau, Tien-Shan mountains, Kirgiziya. Alticola longicauda Kashkarov, 1923:203 . Type locality Kayand ravine, Alexandrovsk range, Tien-Shan mountains, Kirghiziya. Altic ola villosa Kashkarov, 1923:203. Type localit y Sary-Bul ak pass, Alexandrovsk range, Tien-Shan mountain s, Kirghiziya. CONTEXT AND CONTENT. Order Rodentia, Family Mu- ridae , Subfamily Arvicolinae, Tribe Clethrionomyini (Gromov and Polykov, 1977; Hooper and Hart, 1962, Musser and Carlton, 1993). Status of the genus is summarized by Mead and Nadachowski (1999). The systematics of the subgenus Alti cola Blanford, 1881 (to which A. argentatus belongs) is still complicated and contro- versial. Over 30 nominative taxa were described in this group. Sometimes they are unit ed within one species, Alti cola roylei (Heptner and Rossolimo, 1968), but more frequently two or three forms are distinguished (Corbet, 1978; Ellerman and Morrison- Scott, 1951; Gromov and Polyakov, 1977; Honacki et aI., 1982; Ognev, 1950). Recent revision s of the subgenus (Rossolimo, 1989a, 1989b; Rossolimo and Pavlinov, 1992; Rossolimo et al., 1988, 1994) show that it consists of probably eight species very closely related morphologically: Alt icola stoliczkan us (Blanford, 1875); A. roylei Gray, 1842; A. barakshin Bannikov, 1947; A. semicanus (Allen, 1924); A. tuvinicus Ognev, 1950; A. argentatus (Severtzov, 1879); A. monto sa (True, 1894); and A. albicauda (True, 1894). The status of certain forms is not cl ear (kosogol, leucurus, longi cauda, rosanooi, shn itn ikoui; and villosa- Gromov and Po- lyakov, 1977); confusion still exists with synonyms of certain sub- species (Musser and Carleton , 1993) . The following nine sub species are currently recognized (for synonomy see Rossolimo, 1989a; Ros- solimo and Pavlinov, 1992) : A. a. argentatus (Severtsov, 1879:63). Type locality "Alichur,' Murgabskiy Raion, Pamir Mountains, Tadzhikistan. A. a. blanfordi (Scully, 1880:399). See above (lahulius is a syn- onym). A. a. glacialis Miller, 1913:197. See above. A. a. parvidens Schlitt er and Setzer, 1973. Type localit y "20.5 miles N Dir, 10,400 feet [ 3,170 m], West Pakistan ." A. a. phasma Miller, 1912 :59. See above. A. a. severtzovi (Tikhornirov and Korchagin, 1889:20, 28). See above. A. a. subluteus Thomas, 1914:570. Type locality "Djarkent, Se- miretchen sk, Central Asia, . . . on Uszek River, Middle IIi . .. Thian-shan Mountains" Panfilov (= "Dzharkent"), Taldi-Kur- ganskaya Oblast', foothills of Dzungarski Alatau, Kazakhstan (saurica is a synonym). A. a. tarasovi Rossolimo and Pavlinov, 1992 :165. Type localit y "banks of Inylchek River, system of Inylchek and Sary Dzhaz Ridges, E. Kirghistan." A. a. worthingtoni Miller, 1906: 372 . See above (gracilis is a syn- onym). DIAGNOSIS. Characterized by wide color variation, from bright-rust to dark brown. Length of tail varies from 32 to 51% length of body, and is almost hairl ess. The skull round ed, not flat- tened , incurvation on the interorbital part underdeveloped (Fig. I). Tympanic bulla e are relatively small and narrow. Third upp er molar FIG. l. Dorsal, ventral, and lateral views of cranium and lat- eral view of mandible of Alticola argentatus (from Gromov and Polyakov, 1977). Greatest length of cranium is 26.6 mm. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/mspecies/article-abstract/doi/10.2307/3504506/2600459 by guest on 06 June 2020