ABSTRACT
Clethrionomys gapperi inhabits forests of the Hudsonian and Canadian life zones of North America. In the West, they occur in the Rocky Mountains south to southwestern New Mexico and Arizona. They are distributed transcontinentally through Canada and display contiguous allopatry with the more northern C. rutilus. southwestern New Mexico and Arizona. Red-backed voles occupy a wide range of habitats, including coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests, characterized by an abundant litter of stumps, rotting logs, and exposed roots associated with a rocky substrate — optimal habitats tend to be mesic. Red-backed voles are censused by using Sherman live traps containing synthetic fiber nesting material and a high-energy food to minimize death from exposure or trap shock.
