Microtus californicus (California Vole)
about the species
The California vole is common in California, but extends to Oregon and Baja California. While it is widely distributed, CDFW (August 2019) lists as it’s subspecies, M. c. mohavensis (Mohave river vole), M. c. sanpabloensis (San Pablo vole), M. c. stephensi (south coast marsh vole), and M. c. vallicola (Owens Valley vole) as Species of Special concern. Microtus c. scirpensis (Amargosa vole) is federal and state ESA listed.
why species was selected
These subspecies are of conservation concern due to loss of habitat due to development and water management. Besides the conservation concerns, examining genomic variation in a widely distributed species will hopefully illustrate larger trends in variation across the state, such as variation across potential geographic barriers like mountains and rivers.
