Phenacomys intermedius Merriam, 1889 . N. Am. Fauna, 2:32.

TYPE LOCALITY: Canada, British Columbia Prov., 20 mi NNW Kamloops .

DISTRIBUTION: SW British Columbia and adjacent Alberta, Canada, south to N New Mexico, C Utah, and N California, USA; disjunct populations in EC California and W Nevada, USA.

SYNONYMS: celsus, constablei, laingi, levis, olympicus, oramontis, orophilus, preblei, pumilus, truei .

COMMENTS: Howell (1926b) originally recognized three species ( intermedius, mackenzii, and ungava) of heather voles, later reduced to two ( intermedius and ungava including mackenzii) by Anderson (1942a, 1947). Crowe (1943) further lumped all under intermedius based on suspected intergrades from SW Alberta, and the recognition of a single species has been generally followed (e.g., Banfield, 1974; Corbet and Hill, 1991; Hall and Cockrum, 1953) but not exclusively (Cowan and Guiguet, 1965; Peterson, 1966a). Foster and Peterson (1961) questioned Crowe's appreciation of ageeffects in his identification of the alledged intergrades between intermedius and ungava . As remarked by Cowan and Guiguet (1965), the matter of their synonymy "requires more detailed examination before a decision can be reached," an appraisal which stands equally valid today. See McAllister and Hoffmann (1988, Mammalian Species, 305, including ungava).