M. t. tatricus occupies the western part of the range in Slovakia and Poland, and M. t. zykovi is found in Ukraine and Romania.

The habitat occupied by the species is either humid rocky meadows in the subalpine zone or climax upper montane forest.

Its distribution range is insular and fragmented as a consequence of landscape altitudinal structure and habitat heterogeneity.

Its diploid number of chromosomes and the basic karyotype characteristics (2N = 32, NF = 46) are unique among voles of the genus Microtus.

[2] It split from the common ancestor as the first, and the oldest fossil found to date is from Holocene.