NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eastern Heather Vole
Phenacomys ungava Merriam, 1889
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Audubon Vole Neastern Heather Vole (Phenacomys Ungava) Lithograph C1854 After A Painting By John Woodhouse Audubon For John James AudubonS Viviparous Quadrupeds Of North America
John Woodhouse Audubon · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The eastern heather vole (Phenacomys ungava) is a small North American vole. Until recently, this species was considered to belong to the same species as the western heather vole (P. intermedius). It is also called the Ungava vole.
Though some studies have indicated that P. ungava is "rare" or "uncommon," other researchers have found that the animal can be common locally, and others have suggested that the population may undergo cyclic abundance.
Wikipedia contributors, Eastern heather vole; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:37:18.983876+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Phenacomys ungava Merriam, 1889
- Name authority
- Merriam, 1889
- Common name
- Eastern Heather Vole
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Phenacomys
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyCricetidae Fischer, 1817
- subfamilyArvicolinae Gray, 1821
- genusPhenacomys Merriam, 1889
- speciesPhenacomys ungava Merriam, 1889
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Phenacomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Heather VolePhenacomys intermedius Merriam, 1889 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Phenacomys celatus Merriam, 1889 Merriam, 1889 | synonym |
| Phenacomys latimanus Merriam, 1889 Merriam, 1889 | synonym |
| Phenacomys celatus crassus Bangs, 1900 Bangs, 1900 | synonym |
| Phenacomys ungava soperi Anderson, 1942 Anderson, 1942 | synonym |
| Phenacomys mackenzii Preble, 1902 Preble, 1902 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=552492 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4G2N8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.