Microtus epiroticus (Ondrias, 1966) . Saugetierk. Mitt., 14 (Suppl):59.

TYPE LOCALITY: Greece, Epirus, Perama, near lonnina .

DISTRIBUTION: C. and E. Europe, from Gulf of Finland south to Yugoslavia, N.W. Greece and Caucasus Mtns., east to Ural Mtns.

COMMENT: Subgenus Microtus; see Chaline and Mein, 1979; formerly included in arvalis, but differentiated chromosomally (see Malygin and Orlov, 1974, Zool. Zh., 53), and the bacula differ (see Aksenova and Tarasov, 1974, Zool. Zh., 53:609-615). Originally named subarvalis Meier, Orlov and Skholl, 1972 (Zool. Zhur., 51: 157- 161), but this name is preoccupied by subarvalis (Heller, 1930) (a fossil); see Gromov and Polyakov, 1977, [Voles (Microtinae), Fauna U.S. S.R.], Nauka, Moscow and Leningrad, 3(8):308. This is the senior synonym of Microtus subarvalis; see Kral et al., 1980, Prirodoved. Pr. Ustavia. Cesk. Acad. Ved. Brno, 14(9); 1 -29. For evidence of specific distinctness of epiroticus, see also Ruzic et al., 1975, Arh. Poljopr. Nauka, 28: 153-160.