Apodemus flavicollis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	MURIDAE

Scientific Name:

Apodemus flavicollis

Species Authority:

(Melchior, 1834)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Yellow-necked Field Mouse
French	–	Mulot À Collier, Mulot À Collier
Spanish	–	Ratón Leonado, Ratón Leonado

Synonym/s:

Apodemus arianus (Blanford, 1881)

Apodemus ponticus

Taxonomic Notes:

It is very probable that Apodemus ponticus and A. flavicollis are conspecific, and that their recognition as different species arose because the Cold War prevented comparison of populations on either side of the Iron Curtain (B. Kryštufek and V. Vohralik pers. comm. 2006). A. ponticus was reported by Russian authors from the Caucasus and Transcaucasia. Authors who studied Apodemus from most northeastern Turkey (close to the Georgian border) did not find any difference between these populations and other Turkish populations of A. flavicollis (Frynta et al. 2001, Macholan et al. 2001, B. Kryštufek unpubl. data). Individuals captured on the Turkey-Georgia border formed fertile hybrids with A. flavicollis from Austria (Steiner 1978). Thus, the range of ponticus is arbitrarily defined by political borders: populations from the extreme NE Turkey (close to Georgian border) are classified as flavicollis, those across the border as ponticus. If the Asiatic phylogroup of A. flavicollis is indeed an independent species, than arianus predates all other names, including ponticus (B. Kryštufek pers. comm. 2006).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Assessor/s:	Amori, G., Hutterer, R., Kryštufek, B., Yigit, N., Mitsain, G. & Palomo, L.J.
Reviewer/s:	Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Temple, H. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)
Contributor/s:
Justification: This is a common and widespread species with no major threats affecting the population.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The yellow-necked mouse has a large range extending from Great Britain across much of continental Europe to the Urals (Russian Federation). It also found occurs through Turkey east to W Armenia, the Zagros Mountains of Iran and south to Syria, Lebanon and Israel. In Europe, it is generally widespread, although it is absent from southern Iberia, western France, northern and central Fennoscandia and Russia, and most islands (including Ireland). It is present on some east Mediterranean islands. Occurs from sea level up to 1,850 m (Spitzenberger 2002).
Countries:	Native: Albania; Armenia (Armenia); Austria; Belarus; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Latvia; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Romania; Russian Federation; Serbia (Serbia); Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is a common species throughout much of its range. Populations appear generally stable (natural fluctuations occur). Densities of more than 100 individuals per hectare have been recorded in eastern Europe (Montgomery 1999).
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It inhabits a variety of woodland habitats. It tends to be a forest edge species, but in the Alps it lives within forests (F. Spitzenberger in litt. 2006). Also occurs in open shrublands and secondary habitats. Its spatial distribution in large forest areas is related to the productivity and spatial distribution of forest trees with heavy seeds, mainly oak and hazel (Juškaitis 2002).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Globally there are no major threats. Locally, habitat degradation due to agriculture may cause population declines. In the UK, the species occupied a wider distribution in historic times and has undergone a range contraction associated with the conversion of ancient woodland to agricultural land (Battersby 2005).

Major Threat(s):

Globally there are no major threats. Locally, habitat degradation due to agriculture may cause population declines. In the UK, the species occupied a wider distribution in historic times and has undergone a range contraction associated with the conversion of ancient woodland to agricultural land (Battersby 2005).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	It occurs in protected areas across its range. No specific conservation measures are recommended.

Conservation Actions:

It occurs in protected areas across its range. No specific conservation measures are recommended.

Bibliography [top]

	Battersby, J. 2005. UK Mammals: Species Status and Population Trends. First Report by the Tracking Mammals Partnership. JNCC / The Tracking Mammals Partnership. Frynta, D., Mikulová, P., Suchomelová, E. and Sádlova, J. 2001. Discriminant analysis of morphometric characters in four species of Apodemus (Rodentia: Muridae) from eastern Turkey and Iran. Israel Journal of Zoology 47: 243-258. IUCN. 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 5 October 2008). Juškaitis, R. 2002. Spatial distribution of the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) in large forest areas and its relation with seed crop of forest trees. Mammalian Biology 67(4): 206–211. Macholán, M., Filippucci, M. G., Benda, P., Frynta, D. and Sádlová, J. 2001. Allozyme variation and systematics of the genus Apodemus (Rodentia: Muridae) in Asia Minor and Iran. Journal of Mammalogy 82: 799-813. Montgomery, W. I. 1999. Apodemus flavicollis. In: A. J. Mitchell-Jones, G. Amori, W. Bogdanowicz, B. Kryštufek, P. J. H. Reijnders, F. Spitzenberger, M. Stubbe, J. B. M. Thissen, V. Vohralík and J. Zima (eds), The Atlas of European Mammals, Academic Press, London, UK. Musser, G. G. and Carleton, M. D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. In: D. E. Wilson and D. A. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World: a geographic and taxonomic reference, pp. 894-1531. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA. Steiner, H. M. 1978. Taxonomic status and geographical distribution of Apodemus microps Kratochvil & Rosicky, 1952. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal 58: 1430-1432.

Battersby, J. 2005. UK Mammals: Species Status and Population Trends. First Report by the Tracking Mammals Partnership. JNCC / The Tracking Mammals Partnership.

Frynta, D., Mikulová, P., Suchomelová, E. and Sádlova, J. 2001. Discriminant analysis of morphometric characters in four species of Apodemus (Rodentia: Muridae) from eastern Turkey and Iran. Israel Journal of Zoology 47: 243-258.

IUCN. 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 5 October 2008).

Juškaitis, R. 2002. Spatial distribution of the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) in large forest areas and its relation with seed crop of forest trees. Mammalian Biology 67(4): 206–211.

Macholán, M., Filippucci, M. G., Benda, P., Frynta, D. and Sádlová, J. 2001. Allozyme variation and systematics of the genus Apodemus (Rodentia: Muridae) in Asia Minor and Iran. Journal of Mammalogy 82: 799-813.

Montgomery, W. I. 1999. Apodemus flavicollis. In: A. J. Mitchell-Jones, G. Amori, W. Bogdanowicz, B. Kryštufek, P. J. H. Reijnders, F. Spitzenberger, M. Stubbe, J. B. M. Thissen, V. Vohralík and J. Zima (eds), The Atlas of European Mammals, Academic Press, London, UK.

Musser, G. G. and Carleton, M. D. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. In: D. E. Wilson and D. A. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World: a geographic and taxonomic reference, pp. 894-1531. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA.

Steiner, H. M. 1978. Taxonomic status and geographical distribution of Apodemus microps Kratochvil & Rosicky, 1952. Zoologicheskii Zhurnal 58: 1430-1432.

Citation:	Amori, G., Hutterer, R., Kryštufek, B., Yigit, N., Mitsain, G. & Palomo, L.J. 2008. Apodemus flavicollis. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 May 2013.
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