Horváth Géza (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 24. (Budapest 1926)
Éhik, Gy.: Magyarország földipockai
Such a systematically and geographically intercalated group seems to be the Transcaucasian Arbusticola too, described by SHIDLOVSKY in 1919 1 ; although the morphology of the skull of the latter is almost entirely indentical with that of Pitymys, certain anatomical differences warn us, that not even the Arbusticola is so near to the Pitymys to-day as it seems to be at the first glance, but we are confronted with such a branche of the old stock, the evolution of which is clearly decided. With other words in this case the Pitymys and the Arbusticola most likely took their origin from a common stock. In the relationships, chief lines of descent or phyla of the Microtinae an important part will be given to the principle of adaptive radiation of OSBOEN, without the application of which law we cannot hope to reach acceptable results in the question, considering that it is especially the Microtinae out of the living animals which give the best instance for the law mentioned. Our Pleistocene voles are comparatively well known, but the radiation of the single Pleistocene stocks is still so large that we have to look for the ancestors of the single stocks still deeper. That is why the relationship of the Pitymys and the Hyperacrius can be according to our actual knowledge just as well a direct connection as the result of analogous evolution. Geographic distribution of the genus. The genus Pitymys is the inhabitant of Central and Southern Europe, as well as that of the eastern parts of the United States and a part of Mexico according to MILLEE 2 . According to a later work of MILLEE 3 , it inhabits the central and southern continental parts of Europe, eastward into Asia Minor, and it lives in the eastern and southeastern parts of the United States and in the southern parts of Mexico. The eastern boundaries of the European distribution of the genus is to be completed with the data of VINOGEADOV 4 who introduced a new species from the Charkov district of Southern Russia under the name of Pitymys ukrainiens into the literature. It is anyhow remarkable that while the genus is known to possess so many species, the number of species is 1 SHIDLOVSKY M. : Materials to the faune of the Rodents of Transcaucasia. Part I. Microtinae. Tiflis, 1919. 2 MILLER, G. S.: Genera and subgenera of Voles and Lemmings. North American fauna No. 12, p 58. * MILLER, G. S. : Catalogue of the Mammals of Western Europe etc. London. 1912, p 753, * VINOGRADOV, B. S. : Sur l'habitat d'une espèce du genre Pitymys Mc. Murtrie dans la Bussie méridionale. (Bull. Stat Reg. Protect. Plants a Petrograd. III, 1922, p. VIL—X.).
