Urocitellus

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Urocitellus
Belding ground squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi)

Belding ground squirrel ( Urocitellus beldingi )

Systematics
Order : Rodents (Rodentia)
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Ground Squirrel (Xerinae)
Tribe : Real ground squirrels (Marmotini)
Genre : Urocitellus
Scientific name
Urocitellus
Obolensky , 1927

Urocitellus is a genus of the real ground squirrel , which is distributed in twelve species in the Holarctic in northern North America and in northern Asia.

features

The species of the genus are variable in size, the head-trunk length varies from about 19 to 47.5 centimeters. This means that both small and large species of ground squirrels belong to this genus. The tail is between 2.7 and 12.0 centimeters long, the tail length usually corresponds to between 25 and 45% of the body length. It is correspondingly short to medium long and thin to slightly bushy in shape. The ears are comparatively large with a length of 4 to 19 millimeters, the rear foot length is 31 to 49 millimeters. The back color is variable and usually without any noticeable markings. The fur is usually longer and less smooth than that of species in other genera. The females of the Callospermophilus species have five to six pairs of teats .

Compared to marmots ( Marmota ) and prairie dogs ( Cynomys ), the skull is smaller, more filigree and also differs from them in shape. Compared to the species of the genus Xerospermophilus , urocitellus species are usually larger and have proportionally much smaller tympanic bladders , a longer and more parallel snout and smaller incisors. Compared to Poliocitellus , the species have a wider cranium and also differ in other features of the skull and teeth. The greatest similarity is to the ground squirrel ( Spermophilus ), with which they were originally partially grouped together in a subgenus. The main differences lie in craniometric data such as a larger interpupillary distance, smaller molars , at the same time a larger P3 premolar and deviations in the shape of the tympanic membrane.

distribution

The arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) is the only species of ground squirrel found in both North America and North Asia.

The species of the genus Urocitellus occur in Central and Northeast Asia as well as in North America in Canada and the northwest of the United States and south to Mexico . The columbianus species group is differentiated from the townsendii species group.

The distribution of the columbianus species group extends in western North America from Mississippi and northern Mexico over the western United States and Canada to Alaska and into eastern Eurasia, where individual species occur at greater altitudes. The long-tailed ground squirrel ( U. undulatus ) is the only species of the genus that can only be found in Eurasia and is distributed there from Kazakhstan to parts of Russia ( Siberia , Transbaikalia ), northern Mongolia and northern China . The Arctic ground squirrel ( U. parryii ) has a holarctic distribution and is found in Eurasia in northeastern Russia as well as in North America in northwestern Canada and Alaska. The Columbia ground squirrel ( U. columbianus ) occurs from southeastern British Columbia and western Alberta in Canada to northeastern Oregon , as well as Idaho and Montana . The Richardson Ground Squirrel ( U. richardsonii ) lives in the northern Great Plains of southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada to Montana, North Dakota , northeastern South Dakota , western Minnesota and northwestern Iowa . The Wyoming ground squirrel ( U. elegans ) is found in southeast Oregon, southern Idaho, southwest Montana, northeast Nevada , Colorado, and western Nebraska . The Uinta Ground Squirrel ( U. armatus ) lives from southern Utah into southern Montana and southeastern Idaho to Wyoming and the distribution area of Belding-Ziesels ( U. beldingi ) ranges from eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho to the north east of California , northern Nevada and northwestern Utah.

The townsendii species group occurs only in North America in the area of ​​the Great Basin, the Snake River Plain and the Columbia Plateau and Basin. The Townsend ground squirrel ( U. townsendii ) and the Washington ground squirrel ( U. washingtoni ) live in the southeast of Washington , the latter also occurs in the northeast of Oregon. The distribution area of ​​the Piute ground squirrel ( U. mollis ) extends from southeast Oregon to Nevada, eastern California and western Utah. The Merriam ground squirrel ( U. canus ) occurs from central Oregon to northwest Nevada and far west Idaho. The smallest range of all ground squirrels has the Idaho ground squirrel ( U. brunneus ), which lives scattered in isolated populations in western and central Idaho.

Way of life

The species of the genus live mainly in montane steppe areas and cold steppes, with the individual species sometimes having very different habitats. Most species form colonies and live in more or less complex burrows in the ground. All species are diurnal and live mainly herbivorous on grasses, leaves, flowers and fruits, occasionally the food is supplemented by insects and other animal foods.

Systematics

Phylogenetic systematics of the Marmotini according to Herron et al. 2004
 Marmotini  


 Notocitellus


   

 Antelope pebble ( Ammospermophilus )



   


 Otospermophilus


   

 Callospermophilus



   

 Marmots ( marmota )


   

 Ground Squirrel ( Spermophilus )


   


 Ictidomys


   

 Franklin ground squirrel ( Poliocitellus franklinii )


   

 Prairie Dogs  ( Cynomys )


   

 Xerospermophilus





   

 Urocitellus







Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

Urocitellus is a genus of the squirrels , where it is assigned to the ground squirrels (Xerinae) and therein the real ground squirrels (Xerini). The first scientific description was as a subgenus of the ground squirrel (genus Spermophilus ) by Sergei Ivanovich Obolenskij in 1927 with the long-tailed ground squirrel ( Urocitellus undulatus ) as a type species. Together with other taxa that are now considered to be genera , it was partially treated as a subgenus. In the system of Robert S. Hoffmann and Richard W. Thorington in Wilson & Reeder 2005 the sub-genus was not included.

A molecular biological study confirmed urocitellus in 2004 as a monophyletic group . This was identified as a sister group of a taxon from the genera Ictidomys , Poliocitellus with the Franklin ground squirrel as the only species, the prairie dogs ( Cynomys ) and Xerospermophilus and therefore re-described at the genus level.

With a total of 12 recognized species, the genus Urocitellus is after Spermophilus the most species-rich group of the genera formerly combined under Spermophilus :

The name Urocitellus is derived from the Greek words uro for "tail" and citellus for "ground squirrel", meaning roughly "tail ground squirrel".

Hazard and protection

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) estimates nine species of the genus as not endangered ("least concern") due to their comparatively large distribution area and stable stocks. The Washington ground squirrel is viewed as potentially endangered ("near threatened"), the Townsend ground squirrel as endangered ("vulnerable") and the Idaho ground squirrel as critically endangered ("critically endangered").

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Kristofer M. Helgen, F. Russell Cole, Lauren E. Helgen & Don E. Wilson: Generic revision in the Holarctic ground squirrel genus Spermophilus. Journal of Mammalogy, 90, pp. 270-305, 2009
  2. ^ A b Matthew D. Herron, Todd A. Castoe, Christopher L. Parkinson: Sciurid phylogeny and the paraphyly of holarctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31, 2004; Pp. 1015-1030. ( doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2003.09.015 , full text , PMID 15120398 )
  3. ↑ Spermophilus undulatus  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.vertebrates.si.edu  In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
  4. ^ Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 366-371. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  5. ↑ Urocitellus armatus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: AV Linzey, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus beldingi in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: AV Linzey, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus canus on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: AV Linzey, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus columbianus on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: AV Linzey, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus elegans on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: E. Yensen, NatureServe (T. Mabee, G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus mollis on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species 2015.2. Listed by: G. Hammerson, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus parryii on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: AV Linzey, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus richardsonii on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: AV Linzey, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015., Urocitellus undulatus on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Posted by: S. Shar, D. Lkhagvasuren, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  6. ↑ Urocitellus washingtoni in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: E. Yensen, NatureServe (G. Hammerson, KP Popper), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ Urocitellus townsendii in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: E. Yensen, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ Urocitellus brunneus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: E. Yensen, NatureServe (G. Hammerson, J. Jefferson, S. Cannings), 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015.

literature

Web links

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