MCZ Mammalogy 1290

Chionomys nivalis (Martins, 1842)

Syntype of Hypudaeus nivicola

Date Collected:

[date unknown] prior to 1864-06-02

Europe: Switzerland | Saint Gotthard pass

occurrenceID: https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/guid/MCZ:Mamm:1290 JSON-LD

Current Identification
Chionomys nivalis (Martins, 1842)
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Cricetidae
Common Name(s): European Snow Vole; Snow vole
Determiner: Terri L. McFadden; Kristofer M. Helgen in 2001
Nature of ID: revised taxonomy
Remarks: from "Type Specimens of Recent Mammals in the Museum of Comparative Zoology", p. 112
Previous Identifications
Microtus nivalis
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Cricetidae
Determiner: [no agent data]
Nature of ID: migration
Remarks: migrated from skull tag. Verbatim spelling: "Microtis nivalis"
Hypudaeus nivicola Schinz, 1845
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Muridae Arvicolinae
Determiner: Heinrich Rudolf Schinz in 1845
Nature of ID: type ID
Remarks: year is date of publication
Hypudaeus nivicola Schinz, 1845
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Muridae Arvicolinae
Determiner: [no agent data]
Nature of ID: migration
Remarks: MCZ ledger. Verbatim spelling: "Hysodoeus nivicula, juv."

Schinz 1845, page 236, Syntype of Hypudaeus nivicola Schinz, 1845 type tag says "probably one of the 16 specimens mentioned by Schinz, in Synopsis Mamm., 1845, vol. 2, p. 236 & ft note". In the MCZ's type catalog by Helgen & McFadden, the type is erroneously identified as the catalog number 1291, which is a Muscardinus specimen. Comments by Helgen & McFadden: "G. M. Allen discussed the somewhat uncertain type status of this specimen (1931: 263). [...] Louis Agassiz, a student of Schinz's, deposited the specimen in the MCZ."
Media type: image; Schinz 1845 Description: Systematisches verzeichniss aller bis jetzt bekannten saugethiere; oder. Synopsis mammalium nach dem Cuvier'schen system;

(Media Record) (Related) (File)

Shows Publication: Schinz 1845 Description: Systematisches verzeichniss aller bis jetzt bekannten saugethiere; oder. Synopsis mammalium nach dem Cuvier'schen system

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Part Condition Disposition Count
skin (dry) small tear in skin mid-dorsum. Bald patch by L elbow. Overall good condition in collection 1 History (3)
skull (dry) Basicranial, occipital, squamosal areas missing from skull. Damage in braincase by R orbital fissure. Vomer damaged. Mandibles disarticulated. Angulars damaged, L coronoid chipped. Roots of both m3's exposed. Lm2, Lm3 crowns damaged in collection 1 History (3)
tissue (dry) good in collection 1 History
Remarks: skin; sub-sampled as part of NSF CSBR Holotype grant; transferred to MCZ-CRYO on 2023-10-26
subsampled by = Nina Black   determined date=2023-09-21   determined by=Nina Black  

Attribute Value Determination On
sex male [no agent data]
Remarks: original tag lists an inverted female symbol, in the past used to notate a male. Old MCZ tag uses the male symbol. However, in Helgen & McFadden's type catalog, they list this specimen as female
age class juvenile [no agent data]
associated grant Preserving the genomes of the type specimens in the MCZ (CSBR) By: Nina Black 2023-10-26

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  • original tag in French reads: "Hypodaeus nivicola juv. [inverted female symbol], sp. nov. du St. Gotthard et du Faulhorn. Annales des sciences naturelles 1843". This is a reference to a publication by C. Martins, wherein he describes a new species, Arvicola nivalis, from the summit of Faulhorn mountain in Switzerland, which he describes based on 3 male specimens in alcohol collected by his friend A. Bravais. In this article, he references an 1837 publication, Fauna helvetica (Nouveaux Memoires de la Societe helvetique des Sciences naturelles, t. 1, p 23, 1837), where Schinz, in compiling a list of the mammals of Switzerland, writes of a mouse he saw that was very similar to Hypudaeus arvalis, but at high elevation, caught at 1950m at Gotthard Pass in August. See discussion of the type status of this specimen in G. M. Allen's 1931 "Type specimens of mammals in the Museum of Comparative Zoology" and Helgen & McFadden's 2005 "Type Specimens of Recent Mammals in the Museum of Comparative Zoology". English translation of Schinz's type description for H. nivicola available.

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  • Continent:
  • Europe
  • Country:
  • Switzerland
  • dwc:highergeographyID:
  • http://vocab.getty.edu/tgn/7011731 linked data icon
Specimens with same Higher Geography
Specimens from the same Locality
Specimens from the same Collecting Event
  • Specific Locality:
  • Saint Gotthard pass
  • Verbatim Locality:
  • du St. Gotthard et du Faulhorn [original tag, French]
  • Georeference:
  • 46.5730650°, 8.56119500° (Error radius: 2656m) By: Madeleine Mullon on 2020-08-19 (Source: GEOLocate)
  • Datum:
  • WGS84
  • Coordinates Entered As:
  • decimal degrees
  • Collecting Source:
  • wild caught
  • Began Date / Ended Date:
  • 1700-01-01 / 1864-06-02
  • Verbatim Date:
  • [no verbatim date data]
  • Collecting Event Remarks:
  • End of date collected range set to date specimens in this number range were cataloged. Ledger lists verbatim locality simply as "Europe", old MCZ tag "[Alps?] Europe", and type tag "Swiss Alps", but original tag is more specific.
  • Collector:
  • Louis Agassizlinked data icon

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Media type: text; Mammalogy 1276; 1277; 1280; 1281; 1282; 1283; 1284; 1285; 1286; 1287; 1288; 1289; 1290; 1291; 1292; 1294; 1295; 1298; 1299; 1278; 1279; 1293; 1296; 1297; 1300 Description: MCZ Mammalogy Mammals 000001-002800, pg.52;

(Media Record) (Related) (File)

Ledger Entry for: 25 cataloged items from MCZ:Mamm:1276 Myotis lucifugus lucifugus to MCZ...

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