Florida Salt Marsh vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus dukecampbelli)
Kingdom: Animalia Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Muridae
Listing Status:
General Information
The Florida salt marsh vole is a small (178 to 198 millimeters in total length), short-tailed rodent with a blunt head and short ears. Its fur is black-brown dorsally and dark gray ventrally. It is closely related to the meadow vole (M. p. pennsylvanicus) but can be distinguished by its larger size, darker coloration, relatively small ears, and by certain skull characteristics.
- States/US Territories in which the Florida Salt Marsh vole is known to occur: Florida
- US Counties in which the Florida Salt Marsh vole is known to occur: View All
- USFWS Refuges in which the Florida Salt Marsh vole is known to occur:
LOWER SUWANNEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
- For more information: http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/Species-Accounts/SpeciesInfo.htm
» Federal Register Documents
| Date | Citation Page | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 04/26/2007 | 72 FR 20866 20868 | Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 5-Year Review of 22 Southeastern Species |
| 01/14/1991 | 56 FR 1457 1459 | ETWP; Microtus pennsylvanicus dukecampbelli (Florida Salt Marsh Vole) Listed as Endangered; 56 FR 1457 1459 |
» Recovery
Recovery Plan Information Search| Date | Title | Plan Action Status | Plan Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/30/1997 | Recovery Plan for the Florida Salt Marsh Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus dukecampbelli) | View Implementation Progress | Final |
| Date | Citation Page | Title | Document Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/26/2007 | 72 FR 20866 20868 | Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 5-Year Review of 22 Southeastern Species |
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 06/05/2008 | Florida Salt Marsh Vole 5-Year Review |
» Critical Habitat
No critical habitat rules have been published for the Florida Salt Marsh vole.
» Conservation Plans
No conservation plans have been created for Florida Salt Marsh vole
» Petitions
No petition findings have been published for the Florida Salt Marsh vole.
» Life History
Habitat Requirements
The Florida salt marsh vole lives in periodically flooded high salt marsh zone where it is believed to survive high tides and storm flooding by climbing vegetation and swimming. It appears to be most common in areas vegetated by seashore saltgrass (Distichlis spicata).
Food Habits
Like most species of Microtus, it probably feeds mainly on green plant materials, especially grasses.
Movement / Home Range
The Florida salt marsh vole is known only from one site at Waccasassa Bay in Levy County, Florida, where it appears to exist in low numbers and has a very restricted range. Any natural or human-caused adverse impact to this species could result in its extinction.
Other
The Florida salt marsh vole is believed to represent a relict population of the widespread meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) which was much more widespread in Florida during the Pleistocene. The range of the species in Florida is believed to have been greatly reduced as climatic change resulted in vegetational changes from grassland to forest in Florida. The current restricted population is threatened by storm surges association with hurricanes and tropical storms, the loss of coastal marshes due to flooding from rising sea level, and potentially by any human-caused alterations that might be proposed for these salt marshes.
» Other Resources
NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.
ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.
