European Water Vole - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

The binomial applied to the water vole is Arvicola amphibius, it was formerly known by the junior synonym A. terrestris. The confusion stems from the fact that Linnaeus described two species of Water Vole on the same page of the same work. Those two forms are now universally considered the same species. It has been recognized as A. amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758) because the first source to unite the two forms that Linnaeus had treated separately into a single species chose A. amphibius as the valid name. The species is widely known by the synonym A. terrestris which for many decades was treated as the valid name.

Some authorities consider the southwestern water vole (Arvicola sapidus) to be the same species, but this is now generally considered to be distinct.