The evolutionary history of the field vole species complex revealed by modern and ancient genomes

The field vole, an abundant and widespread microtine rodent, is a complex comprising three cryptic species. The short-tailed field vole (Microtus agrestis) is present over much of Eurasia, the Mediterranean field vole (Microtus lavernedii) in southern Europe, and the Portuguese field vole (Microtus rozianus) is limited to western Spain and Portugal. Previous research has shown high genomic differentiation of these three lineages; however, the details of the process underlying their divergence remain unknown.