Myodes gapperi (southern red-backed vole)
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Cricetidae |
| Genus | Myodes |
| Species | Myodes gapperi |
| Common | southern red-backed vole |
| Diet | fungi and lichens |
| Habitat | Semi-fossorial; leaf litter and logs in forest and mountain meadows. |
| Description | Dorsum reddish, grey-brown sides. Very similar to western red-backed vole M. californicus, range differs. |
| Skull Characteristics | Posterior margin of palate does not have a spine (compare to M. californicus). Myodes: 4 loops of enamel on lingual side of M3. |
| Notes | The genus Myodes was formerly called Clethrionomys, and this is the name used in many references. Though it is called the southern red-backed vole, the range of this species is primarily in Canada. It is "southern" relative to the northern red-backed vole, M. rutilis, which lives primarily in northern Canada and Alaska.
Links to more species information: Smithsonian Animal Diversity Web |