Buller chipmunk

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Buller chipmunk
Systematics
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Ground Squirrel (Xerinae)
Tribe : Real ground squirrels (Marmotini)
Genre : Chipmunk ( Tamias )
Type : Buller chipmunk
Scientific name
Tamias bulleri
JA Allen , 1889

The Buller's chipmunk ( Tamias bulleri , Syn .: Neotamias bulleri ) is a type of squirrel from the genus of the chipmunk ( Tamias ). It only occurs as an endemic in central Mexico .

features

The Buller chipmunk reaches an average head-trunk length of about 13.0 to 13.5 centimeters, the tail is about 8.4 to 10.4 centimeters long. The weight of the animals is 66 to 105 grams. The basic color of the animals is brownish yellow, on the back there are - as is typical for the species - several dark back stripes, which are separated by lighter stripes and separated from the sides of the body. There are four light and five dark stripes, the middle of the dark stripes being darker and brownish than the outer ones. The outermost stripes are also significantly shorter. The inside of the ears is rusty red. The very similar Durango chipmunk ( Tamias durangae ) differs from the Buller chipmunk in the slightly lighter, cinnamon-colored base color and the red-brown underside of the tail.

distribution

Distribution area of ​​the Buller chipmunk

The Buller chipmunk is the most southern chipmunk. It is endemic only in central Mexico in the Sierra Madre Occidental in southern Durango , western Zacatecas and northern Jalisco .

Way of life

The Buller chipmunk lives in a very small area in the Sierra Madre Occidental at altitudes of 2100 to 2400 meters, which is characterized by steep mountain slopes and sharply delimited canyons. The vegetation of the higher areas consists mainly of pines ( Pinus ) and other conifers, isolated oaks ( Quercus ) and the American quivering aspen ( Populus tremuloides ). In the lower elevations, the habitat is determined by bushy oak vegetation with Arctostaphylos manzanita , Cercocarpus and sacred flowers ( Ceanothus ). The animals prefer forest areas with rocky soil.

Like other chipmunks, the species is diurnal and ground-living, but the animals can also climb into trees and rocks. They are predominantly herbivorous and feed on the seeds of the oaks and juniper bushes and the buds of the pines; beyond that, there is no information on the diet of the animals. The animals build their nests in tree hollows and in burrows in the ground. There is also very limited data available on reproduction. Two females with two or three embryos were caught in June and July, and two lactating females were also caught in the same period .

In the western Sierra Madre between the Río Nazas and the Río Mesquital , the range is limited by the occurrence of the Durango chipmunk ( Tamias durangae ), to the northeast, north of the Río Nazas, by the rock chipmunk ( Tamias dorsalis ). In Jalisco, the species is sympatric with the rock squirrel ( otospermophilus variegatus ) and the Mexican Fox Squirrel ( Sciurus nayaritensis ) ago. No information is available on predators that prey on the Buller chipmunk.

Systematics

The Buller spruce chipmunk is classified as an independent species within the genus of chipmunks ( Tamias ), which consists of 25 species. The first scientific description comes from Joel Asaph Allen from 1889, who introduced the species as Tamias asiaticus bulleri on the basis of individuals from the Sierra de Valparaiso , Zacatecas, and named it after Audley Cecil Buller . Édouard Louis Trouessart first used the name Tamias bulleri, which is valid today, in 1897 . Within the chipmunk group, the Buller chipmunk, along with most of the other species, is assigned to the subgenus Neotamias , which is also discussed as an independent genus.

Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species .

Status, threat and protection

The Buller chipmunk is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as "endangered" (vulnerable). This is justified by the very small distribution area with an area of ​​less than 20,000 km 2 , which is also heavily fragmented and in which the quality of living space is steadily deteriorating.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 318-319. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  2. ↑ a b c Neotamias bulleri in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: ST Álvarez-Castañeda, I. Castro-Arellano, T. Lacher, E. Vázquez, 2008. Accessed May 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b Tamias (Neotamias) bulleri In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): 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. ^ Joel Asaph Allen , Audley Cecil Buller : Notes on a collection of mammals from southern Mexico, with descriptions of new species of the genera Sciurus, Tamias and Sigmodon. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History v. 2, article 16, 1889; Pp. 173-176. ( Digitized version )
  5. ↑ Bo Beolens, Michael Watkins, Michael Grayson: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2009, ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 , p. 63.
  6. ↑ Jarel L. Bartig, Troy L. Best , Stephanie L. Burt: Tamias durangae. Mammalian Species 438, 1993.
  7. ↑ Bruce D. Patterson, Ryan W. Norris: Towards a uniform nomenclature for ground squirrels: the status of the Holarctic chipmunks. Mammalia 80 (3), May 2016; Pp. 241-251 doi : 10.1515 / mammalia-2015-0004
  8. ^ Howard Levenson, Robert S. Hoffmann, Charles F. Nadler, Ljerka Deutsch, Scott D. Freeman: Systematics of the Holarctic Chipmunks (Tamias). Journal of Mammalogy 1985, pp. 219-242. doi : 10.2307 / 1381236

literature

Web links