NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Caucasian Birch Mouse
Sicista caucasica Vinogradov, 1925
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Caucasian birch mouse (Sicista caucasica) is a species of rodent in the family Sminthidae, that is endemic to Russia. Reports that it occurs in Turkey probably refer to Armenian birch mouse (Sicista armenica), from which it can only be reliably distinguished on the basis of karyotype. The Caucasian birch mouse inhabits the Western Montane Caucasus area, land situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Wikipedia contributors, Caucasian birch mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:07:21.594297+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sicista caucasica Vinogradov, 1925
- Name authority
- Vinogradov, 1925
- Common name
- Caucasian Birch Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Dipodidae
- Genus
- Sicista
- 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
- superfamilyDipodoidea Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- familyDipodidae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilySicistinae J. A. Allen, 1901
- genusSicista Gray, 1827
- speciesSicista caucasica Vinogradov, 1925
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sicista. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Armenian Birch MouseSicista armenica Sokolov & Baskevich, 1988 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Birch MouseSicista betulina (Pallas, 1779) | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chinese Birch MouseSicista concolor (Büchner, 1892) | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Klochor Birch MouseSicista kluchorica Sokolov, Kovalskaya & Baskevich, 1980 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray Birch MouseSicista pseudonapaea Strautman, 1949 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Birch MouseSicista subtilis (Pallas, 1773) | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tien Shan Birch MouseSicista tianshanica (Salensky, 1903) | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dark Birch MouseSicista severtzovi Ognev, 1935 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Far Eastern Birch MouseSicista caudata Thomas, 1907 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kazbeg Birch MouseSicista kazbegica Sokolov, Baskevich & Kovalskaya, 1986 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Altai Birch MouseSicista napaea Hollister, 1912 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Strand's Birch MouseSicista strandi Formozov, 1931 | DipodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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=609768 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:4X6ZZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.