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Home range and social behavior of three species of European Pitymys (Mammalia, Rodentia)

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Summary

Habits, home range, and social behavior of three species of voles of the genus Pitymys, P. multiplex, P. subterraneus, and P. savii, were studied in Tessin (Switzerland) by radioactive tagging. P. multiplex and P. savii are fossorial and often use the burrow systems of moles (Talpa); P. subterraneus moves around on the surface under dense vegetation. Males and females of P. multiplex were territorial and their home ranges averaged 342 and 229 m2 respectively. The mating system appeared to be monogamous. P. savii male and female home ranges averaged 445 and 298 m2 respectively. Groups of up to one to three adult females, one or more adult males, and several young, occupied exclusive communal territories. The mating system appeared to be flexible, including monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry. P. subterraneus females occupied exclusive territories (mean 256 m2) overlapped by the home ranges of one or more males (1025 m2). The mating system appeared to be promiscuous. Individuals of the three species occupied one to seven nests. In P. savii all family members utilized three or more communal nests at the same time or alternatively. Co-nesting between males and females of P. multiplex or P. subterraneus were observed less frequently.

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  1. Service des Vertébrés, Station fédérale de recherches agronomiques de Changins, CH-1260, Nyon, Switzerland

    Marco Salvioni

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  1. Marco Salvioni
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Salvioni, M. Home range and social behavior of three species of European Pitymys (Mammalia, Rodentia). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 22, 203–210 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00300570

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00300570

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