Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 3. (Budapest 1953)

Éhik, Gy.: The occurrence of the Root-vole (Microtus oeconomus Pall.) at the Kisbalaton

alveolus of the first molar. Length of the mandibular from the condylion mediale to the infradentale. The length of the molars I have always measured on the enamel pattern. Zimmermann (5) considers the Keyserling and Blasius ratticeps to be the oeconomus of Pallas, synonimizing with it. According to O g n e v's examinations Pallas first used the name oeconomus for various mammals, chiefly for Stenocranius. Ogriev does not hold the Pallas name to be applicable, using the name of Keyserling and Blasius. Ognev relegates it as Mus oeconomus Pallas partim! to M. r. kamtschaticus, as a synonim (vol. VII. p. 286). He also enumerates 16 geographic varieties of ratticeps, expounding them in painstaking details. The german animals are distinguished from the others by the name ratticeps stimmingi' Nhg. in the same place, he also mentions M. oec. mehelyi, giving my older data with the note : »lacking comparative material it is very difficult to reach a conclusion, but it seems to me that it is different from stimmingi«. I believe that in the possession of the new and very rich material my recent researches have proved this beyond any doubt. Against O g n e v's conclusion, E 11 e r m a n says (6. p. 705) the followings : »0 g n e v, 1944. C. R. Acad. Sei. I'll. R. S. S. 44,4 : 166, states that in his opinion Mus oeconomus of Pallas is not M. oeconomus of later authors. He suggests that the name was based on a form of M. (Stenocranius) gregalis (which it antedates), and proposes to date M. Ocononnus and M. kamtschaticus from Poljak o v, ex P a 11 a s, 1881. He also proposes to use Microtus ratticeps for the present species.*But so far as I am able to trace, M. gregalis does not occur in Kamtchatka (in fact oeconomus as here understood is apparently the only Microtus that does so) and Pa lias definitely stated that his oeconomus does occur there, whence (1779) he named a variety. Surely, therefore, if oeconomus is to be suppressed, kamtschaticus is the name for this species? Both Vinogradov and Kuznetzov use the name oeconomus for this species, and for the present I prefer to follow those authors«. The distribution of oeconomus in Hungary is not settled with any finality yet. It is to be supposed that it remained in the ancient, much larger than the recent one, territory of the Kisbalaton, and that it still lives there in biotops suitable to its needs, it is also very probable that it occurs in other Transdanubian reedy areas. Further investigations into this matter are problems of the future. It, would be very difficult to answer the question of how this glacial relict species invaded so deep the South, and how it remained in this place. The extremity of its distribution must have been indubitably influenced by the glaciation of the Alps, but its extent can only be answered after the ultimate exploration of all the Transdanubian reeds. Bibliography: 1. Du erst, J. U. : Vergleichende Untersuchungsmeüioden am Skelett bei Säugern (Hdbuch biol. Arbeitsmethoden, Abt. VII. H. 2. 1926). — 2. E h i k, J. : Einige Daten zur Säugetierkunde Ungarns (Ann. Mus. Nat. Hung., 25, 1928. p. 195—203). — 3. O g n e v, S z. I. : Zveri SzSzSzR i Prinezsáscsih Sztran) Vol. VI. 1948, et vol. VII. 1950, Moszkva). — 4. Vasvári, M.: A patkányfejű pocok előfordulása Zala vármegyében. (Előadás kivonata) (Állatt. Közi., 40, 1943. p. 284). — 5. Zimmermann, K.: Zur Kenntnis von Microtus oeconomus Pall. (Archiv f. Naturgesch. N. F., 11, H. 2. 1942. p. 174—197). — 6. E 11 e r m a n, J. R. &. M o r r i s o n - S c o 11, T. G. S. : Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758—1946. (London, 1953). Explanation of Plate XIII. 1. The large reeds of the Kisbalaton. On its waterless reaches lives the Root-vole. 2. A part of the waterless reeds with open live trap.