Gull Island vole

The Gull - Wiesenwühlmaus ( Microtus pennsylvanicus nesophilus ) is an extinct subspecies of Wiesenwühlmaus ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) within the genus of field mice. She was endemic to the island of Great Gull Iceland near Long Iceland. The Gull - Wiesenwühlmaus was discovered in 1889 and described in 1898 as an independent species.

Description

The Gull - Wiesenwühlmaus reached a length of 18.8 cm, the tail length was 4.1 cm and 2.1 cm Hinterfußlänge. Compared to Wiesenwühlmaus the fur was darker. Her skull was shorter but wider than the nominate. The top surface was yellowish nut brown and mottled with black hair. The bottom was tinted dark cinnamon. Face and nose were dark. The tail was oberseits blackish and dark brown on the bottom.

Way of life

About the way of life almost nothing is known. She was a bottom dweller on the beaches and fed on grasses.

Extinction

The distribution of the Gull - Wiesenwühlmaus was limited to the 7 acre island Great Gull Iceland at the entrance of the Long Iceland Sound. Began in 1897, the U.S. Army with the construction of the fortification Fort Michie, the habitat of the Gull - Wiesenwühlmaus and many terns was completely destroyed. In August 1898, the zoologist Arthur Holmes Howell visited the island and was no longer detectable copy. 15 specimens are in the collection of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1981, the mainland race of Wiesenwühlmaus was reintroduced on Great Gull Iceland.