BIOCHEMICAL VARIATION AND GENETIC-DIVERGE NCE IN PALEARCTIC VOLES (ARVICOLIDAE) - SUBGENUS TERRICOLA, TRUE LEMMINGS LEMMUS LINK 1975, PIED LEMMINGS DICROSTONYX GLOGER 1841, STEPPE LEMMINGS LAGURUS GLOGER 1842,MOLE VOLES ELLOBIUS FISCHER-VON-WALDHEIM 1814

Genetic differentiation of 35 vole species, estimated at 18 to 31 bioc hemical loci, allowed us to identify the following phyla of the tribe level: Lemmini, Dicrostonychini, Ellobiini, Clethrionomyini, and Micro tini. Average genetic differentiation between the tribes (D'Nei = 0.97 7) corresponds to separation of the phylogenetic branches in the middl e Pleistocene. Tribe Lagurini was shown to be contained within Cletrio nomyini. Ondatrini was the first branch that diverged from the common stem in the Miocene (D = 1.563), prior to the formation of the Arvicol idae family. Distribution of genetic distances indicates that family r adiations comprised two stag es, tribal (Pliocene) and specific (Pleis tocene), Ages of the taxa, estimated by means of the molecular clock, agreed well with stratigraphic data. Marked periodicity of divergence in the family confirms the concept of punctuated evolution.