2 
John F. Pagels 
The capture site was characterized by talus and supported a northern 
hardwood forest. Sugar maple, Acer saccharum, composed nearly 50% 
of the trees 10 cm in diameter or greater within 100 m of the collection 
site. Remaining trees were principally yellow birch, Betula lutea (16%); 
black birch, B. nigra (10%); and basswood, Tilia americana (10%). 
Scattered throughout the sampling area were small numbers of American 
beech, Fagus grandifolia; northern red oak, Quercus rubra’, and hickory, 
Carya sp. No conifers were observed. Understory consisted primarily of 
mountain maple, Acer spiratum; witch-hazel, Hamamelis virginiana ; 
and saplings of A. saccharum. The most prominent forbs were white 
snakeroot, Ageratum altissima, and Dutchman’s pipe, Aristolochia 
macrophylla. Rocks and talus were generally moss-covered, and stumps 
and fallen trees in various stages of decomposition were prevalent. 
Severe drought conditions prevailed in much of Virginia, including most 
montane areas, during summer 1987, and the rocky channel of Lightner 
Run was nearly dry on the collection date. Long-term climatic data 
from nearby Marlinton, W.Va., are given by Pagels and Tate (1976). 
Based on studies of M. chrotorrhinus throughout its range (see 
Kirkland and Jannett 1982), the following observations can be noted. 
(1) Boulders, talus, or rocks, as the name rock vole so aptly indicates, 
are important features of M. chrotorrhinus habitat. (2) The rock vole 
exploits subterranean portions of its rocky environment; subsurface 
runways are observed and captures in subsurface sets are common. (3) 
Water, whether surface or subsurface, is an important component of 
rock vole habitat. (4) Microtus chrotorrhinus is most often associated 
with a suite of small mammals having northern affinities, and in the 
southern Appalachian Mountains appropriate habitat for all such species 
is present only at relatively high elevations. (5) Although vegetation 
associations are variable with respect to the rock vole’s habitat preferences 
in various parts of its range, tree species that predominate at a given 
collecting site in the southern Appalachian Mountains are kinds with 
northern affinities, for example, red spruce (Picea rubens ), sugar maple, 
and yellow birch. 
Existing habitat in the southern Appalachian Mountains that appears 
suitable for the rock vole is highly fragmented as a result of both 
natural forces and human activities, especially burning and timbering 
(Handley 1980). Opportunity for repopulation of sites from which M. 
chrotorrhinus has been extirpated seems negligible because of the lack 
of avenues of suitable habitat. If M. chrotorrhinus is found at other 
locations in Virginia, these undoubtedly will be protected rocky and/or 
talus sites that have remained relatively moist throughout historical 
time. Certain factors provide a moderately optimistic outlook for the 
