Mexican ground squirrel
| Mexican ground squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Mexican ground squirrel ( Ictidomys mexicanus ) |
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| Ictidomys mexicanus | ||||||||||||
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The Mexican ground squirrel ( Ictidomys mexicanus , Syn . : Spermophilus mexicanus ) is a species of squirrel from the genus Ictidomys . He lives exclusively in central Mexico .
features
The Mexican ground squirrel reaches a head-trunk length of about 32.2 to 38.0 centimeters, the tail is about 12.4 to 16.6 centimeters long and is thus less than half as long as the rest of the body. The weight is 217 to 398 grams. The animals have an olive-colored to sepia-brown back coloration with a pattern of nine thin and interrupted rows of white to light sand-colored spots that run from the neck to the base of the tail. The muzzle and chin are yellowish to ocher or cinnamon, the animals also have a noticeable light eye ring. The belly and the flanks are light sand-colored to yellow. The tail is grayish black and interspersed with the sand-colored tint of the belly.
distribution
The Mexican ground squirrel is endemic to central Mexico in the states of Aguascalientes , Jalisco , Guanajuato , Querétaro , Hidalgo , México , Tlaxcala, and Puebla .
Way of life
The Mexican ground squirrel is diurnal and lives in dry areas in grasslands and pastures, grassy shrub savannas and steppe areas. It is omnivorous and the food mainly consists of different parts of plants such as leaves and sprouts as well as seeds of grasses, herbs, shrubs and cacti. There are also insects, especially beetles in the spring, and other animal foods such as small vertebrates, if these are available.
The animals live like other ground squirrels on the ground and in underground burrows. The animal's den is usually less than 1.5 meters deep and can consist of several chambers and networked corridors. In addition, the animals use several short escape burrows, which are often burrows dug by mountain pocket rats ( Thomomys ). In favorable habitats, the animals can form colonies from several burrows, but the social connection is poor. From September or October to March or April they overwinter in their burrows for five to six months. The adult males hibernate earlier than the females and juveniles and usually wake up two to four weeks before the females in late March. The mating season begins after the females have awakened in spring, males ready to mate can be found from March to July. The females give birth to a litter of three to five young animals, lactating females can be found from June to September.
The most important predators for the Mexican brick are probably cats, dogs, martens, birds of prey and snakes. In the event of danger, the animals emit a shrill alarm call.
Systematics
The Mexican ground squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus Ictidomys , which consists of three species. The species has long been classified as part of the ground squirrel and within the subgenus Ictidomys , but after a comprehensive molecular biological investigation it was assigned to the now independent genus Ictidomys . The first scientific description comes from the German zoologist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben from 1777. He described the species as Sciurus mexicanus on the basis of individuals from Toluca , now in the central Mexican state of México , and thus classified it in the few squirrels known at the time .
Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species . The Rio Grande ground squirrel ( Ictidomys parvidens ) from northeast Mexico, New Mexico and Texas is often added to the Mexican ground squirrel, among other things in the entry of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
Status, threat and protection
The Mexican ground squirrel is classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified by the comparatively large distribution area, the assumed large population numbers and the ability to use numerous different habitats. There are no known potential risks to the company's existence. In the current version, however, the IUCN combines the Rio Grande ground squirrel ( Ictidomys parvidens ) and the Mexican ground squirrel into one species.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 268-269. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ 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. ( Full text ( Memento of the original from April 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. , PMID 15120398 )
- ↑ Kristofer M. Helgen, F. Russell Cole, Lauren E. Helgen, Don E. Wilson: Generic Revision in the holarctic ground squirrels genus Spermophilus. Journal of Mammalogy 90 (2), 2009; Pp. 270-305. doi : 10.1644 / 07-MAMM-A-309.1
- ^ Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben : Systema regni animalis per classes, ordines, genera, species, varietates: cvm synonymia et historia animalivm: Classis I. Mammalia. 1777; P. 428. ( digitized version )
- ↑ a b Spermophilus (Ictidomys) mexicanus 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 .
- ↑ Carole J. Young, J. Knox Jones, Jr .: Spermophilus mexicanus. Mammalian Species 164, 1982; Pp. 1-4. ( Full text ( Memento of the original from March 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. )
- ↑ a b c Ictidomys mexicanus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: AV Linzey, R. Timm, ST Álvarez-Castañeda, I. Castro-Arellano, T. Lacher, 2008. Accessed May 23, 2016.
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; Pp. 268-269. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- Carole J. Young, J. Knox Jones, Jr .: Spermophilus mexicanus. Mammalian Species 164, 1982; Pp. 1-4. ( Full text )
Web links
- Ictidomys mexicanus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: AV Linzey, R. Timm, ST Álvarez-Castañeda, I. Castro-Arellano, T. Lacher, 2008. Accessed May 23, 2016.
- Corey Sides: Spermophilus mexicanus, Mexican ground squirrel in the Animal Diversity Net