Alticola (Alticola) albicaudus True 1894

Alticola (Alticola) albicaudus True 1894, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus ., 17: 12.

Type Locality: India, Baltistan, Braldu Valley.

Vernacular Names: White-tailed Mountain Vole.

Synonyms: Alticola (Alticola) acmaeus Schwarz 1939 .

Distribution: Himalayan portions of Baltistan (Braldu Valley, Nahr Nulla) and Ladakh (Phyang Nulla), NW India (Rossolimo and Pavlinov, 1992; Rossolimo et al., 1994).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt).

Discussion: Subgenus Alticola, A. roylei-A. argentatus species group (Rossolimo and Pavlinov, 1992). Although usually included in A. roylei (Corbet, 1978 c; Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1951; Gromov and Polyakov, 1977), Hinton (1926 a) earlier pointed out the diagnostic specific traits of albicaudus . Rossolimo and Pavlinov (1992) verified this ranking, fully redescribed the species, and contrasted it with morphologically similar forms. Schwarz’s (1939) acmaeus represents another population of A. albicaudus (Rossolimo and Pavlinov, 1992; our study of holotype).