Part 6

Quay (Jour. Mamm., 32:95, February 15, 1951) identified fifty-eight specimens from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska as Microtus miurus oreas Osgood. Through the courtesy of Dr. Charles P. Lyman, fifteen of Quay's specimens in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College have been examined by one of us (Hall). These specimens are as follows: Lava Lake (43378, 43379, 43381, 43382, 43386, 43467 and 43478); Mt. Boyan (43384, 43385, 43463 and 43477); Anvil Hill [= Peak], Cooper Gulch (43377, 43464 and 43473); ----? Lake, 43383. Although we are not prepared to say that these specimens are M. m. muriei, they seem to resemble M. m. muriei as closely as they do any other named form and we here refer them to that subspecies.

The facts are that a critical taxonomic study of the American specimens of the subgenus Stenocranius is required in order to ascertain the geographic variation. One of us (Hall) has examined the holotypes of the kinds named from Alaska, and the material listed by R. Baker (Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 5:109) of the two kinds named from Canada. The degree and nature of the variation shown by these specimens lead us to the conclusion that all are of a single species. If the American mouse is specifically distinct from any of the previously named Asiatic species--at this writing we lack material to decide this question--the named kinds from the mainland of the New World may stand as follows:

MICROTUS MIURUS ANDERSONI Rand.

1945. Microtus andersoni Rand, Bull. Nat. Mus. Canada, 99:42, prior to June 20, type from near headwaters of Little Keel River, 5500 ft., 82 mi. W Mackenzie River on Canol Road, Mackenzie.

MICROTUS MIURUS CANTATOR Anderson.

1947. Microtus cantator Anderson, Bull. Nat. Mus. Canada, 102:161, January 24, type from mountain top near Tepee Lake, 61° 35' N, 140° 22' W, N slope Elias Range, Yukon Terr.

MICROTUS MIURUS MIURUS Osgood.

1901. Microtus miurus Osgood, N. Amer. Fauna, 21:64, September 26, type from head of Bear Creek, in mts. near Hope City, Turnagain Arm, Cook Inlet, Alaska.

MICROTUS MIURUS MURIEI Nelson.

1931. Microtus muriei Nelson, Jour. Mamm., 12:311, August 24, type from Kutuk River (tributary of Alatna River), Endicott Mts., Alaska.

1950. Microtus miurus paneaki Rausch, Jour. Washington Acad. Sci., 40:135, April 21, type from Tolugak Lake (lat. 68° 24' N, long. 152° 10'), Brooks Range, Alaska.

MICROTUS MIURUS OREAS Osgood.

1907. Microtus miurus oreas Osgood, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 20:61, April 18, type from Toklat River, Alaskan Range, Alaska.

Transmitted July 8, 1952.