Microtus (Terricola) thomasi Barrett-Hamilton 1903

Microtus (Terricola) thomasi Barrett-Hamilton 1903, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, 11: 306.

Type Locality: Montenegro, Vranici.

Vernacular Names: Thomas's Pine Vole.

Synonyms: Microtus (Terricola) atticus (Miller 1910); Microtus (Terricola) byroni (Bolkay 1926) .

Distribution: Endemic to SW Balkans, from the Neretva River in Herzegovina through Montenegro, Albania and mainland Greece to the Peloponessos (including Euboea Isl).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt).

Discussion: Subgenus Terricola, duodecimcostatus species group (Chaline et al., 1988; Pavlinov et al., 1995 a) or sole member of thomasi species group (Zagorodnyuk, 1990). Generally reviewed by Niethammer (1982 k) and Petrov (1992); taxonomic history reviewed by Brunet-Lecomte and Nadachowski (1994). Karyotype is polymorphic, 2n = 40 to 44 and FN = 42 to 46 (Giagia-Athanasopoulou et al., 1995; Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999; Zima and Kral, 1984 a). Based on morphometric analysis of m1s, M. thomasi is strongly divergent from six other species examined in subgenus Terricola (Brunet-Lecomte and Nadachowski, 1994), a finding that supports species-group isolation (Zagorodnyuk, 1990). Synonymy of atticus confirmed by microcomplement fixation comparisons of albumin (Nikoletopoulos et al., 1992), m1 morphometry (Brunet-Lecomte and Nadachowski, 1994), and morphometric and allozymic variation (Tsekoura et al., 2002).