Microtus henseli
| Microtus henseli Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene-Holocene
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Genus: | Microtus |
| Species: | †M. henseli
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Microtus henseli (
F. Major, 1905)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Tyrrhenicola henseli F. Major, 1905 | |
Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) henseli is an extinct species of vole belonging to the genus Microtus that was endemic to Sardinia and Corsica during the Pleistocene and Holocene.
Taxonomy and evolution
[edit]It is placed in the subgenus Tyrrhenicola, alongside its probable ancestor, the early Middle Pleistocene species Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) sondaari, which probably descended from a population of Allophaiomys that arrived in Sardinia between 1.2 million and 0.8 million years ago. The arrival of Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) on Sardinia marks a faunal turnover event from the Early Pleistocene Nesogoral faunal complex and the Middle-Late Pleistocene Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) faunal complex.[1] The oldest dates for M. henseli are over 500,000 years old.[1] The youngest dates for the species are around 1300 BC. It may have become extinct as a result of introductions of invasive species to the islands by humans.[2]
Description
[edit]Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) henseli had an estimated body mass of approximately 277 grams (0.611 lb), substantially larger than its mainland ancestors, an example of island gigantism.[3]
Paleoenviroment
[edit]During the Middle-Late Pleistocene Corsica and Sardinia had their own highly endemic depauperate terrestrial mammal fauna which besides M. henseli included Tyrrhenian field rat, (Rhagamys orthodon), the Sardinian pika (Prolagus sardus), a shrew (Asoriculus similis), a mole (Talpa tyrrhenica), the Sardinian dhole (Cynotherium sardous), a galictine mustelid (Enhydrictis galictoides), a dwarf mammoth ([[Mammuthus lamarmorai) three species of otter (Algarolutra majori, Sardolutra ichnusae, Megalenhydris barbaricina) and a deer (Praemegaceros cazioti).[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Palombo, Maria Rita; Rozzi, Roberto (April 2014). "How correct is any chronological ordering of the Quaternary Sardinian mammalian assemblages?". Quaternary International. 328–329: 136–155. Bibcode:2014QuInt.328..136P. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2013.09.046.
- ^ Valenzuela, Alejandro; Torres-Roig, Enric; Zoboli, Daniel; Pillola, Gian Luigi; Alcover, Josep Antoni (March 2022). "Asynchronous ecological upheavals on the Western Mediterranean islands: New insights on the extinction of their autochthonous small mammals". The Holocene. 32 (3): 137–146. Bibcode:2022Holoc..32..137V. doi:10.1177/09596836211060491. ISSN 0959-6836. S2CID 244763779.
- ^ van den Hoek Ostende, Lars W.; van der Geer, Alexandra A.E.; Wijngaarden, Carlijne L. (July 2017). "Why are there no giants at the dwarves feet? Insular micromammals in the eastern Mediterranean". Quaternary International. 445: 269–278. Bibcode:2017QuInt.445..269V. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2016.05.007.