Spermophilus
Encyclopedia
Spermophilus is a genus
of ground squirrel
s in the family Sciuridae. The majority of ground squirrel species, over 40 in total, are usually placed in this genus. However, Spermophilus in the broad sense has been found to be paraphyletic
to the certainly distinct prairie dog
s, marmot
s, and antelope squirrel
s, so it has been split into several genera by Kristofer Helgen and colleagues.
Some Eurasia
n species are sometimes called susliks (or sousliks). This name comes from Russian суслик, suslik. The scientific name of this genus means "seed-lovers".
Ground squirrels may carry fleas that transmit diseases to humans (see Black Plague), and have been destructive in tunneling underneath human habitation. Though capable of climbing, most species of ground squirrel live in open, treeless habitats.
analyses using the mitochondrial
gene cytochrome b
. This resulted in the splitting of Spermophilus into eight genera, which with the prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels are each given as numbered clade
s. The exact relations between the clades are slightly unclear. Among these, eleven exclusively Palearctic
species are retained as the genus Spermophilus sensu stricto (in the strictest sense).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of ground squirrel
Ground squirrel
The ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less...
s in the family Sciuridae. The majority of ground squirrel species, over 40 in total, are usually placed in this genus. However, Spermophilus in the broad sense has been found to be paraphyletic
Paraphyly
A group of taxa is said to be paraphyletic if the group consists of all the descendants of a hypothetical closest common ancestor minus one or more monophyletic groups of descendants...
to the certainly distinct prairie dog
Prairie dog
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
s, marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
s, and antelope squirrel
Antelope squirrel
The antelope squirrels or antelope ground squirrels are the genus Ammospermophilus of sciurids found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico....
s, so it has been split into several genera by Kristofer Helgen and colleagues.
Some Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
n species are sometimes called susliks (or sousliks). This name comes from Russian суслик, suslik. The scientific name of this genus means "seed-lovers".
Ground squirrels may carry fleas that transmit diseases to humans (see Black Plague), and have been destructive in tunneling underneath human habitation. Though capable of climbing, most species of ground squirrel live in open, treeless habitats.
Species
A generic revision was undertaken in 2007 by means of phylogeneticPhylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
analyses using the mitochondrial
Mitochondrion
In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. These organelles range from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers in diameter...
gene cytochrome b
Cytochrome b
Cytochrome b/b6 is the main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes. In addition, it commonly refers to a region of mtDNA used for population genetics and phylogenetics.- Function :...
. This resulted in the splitting of Spermophilus into eight genera, which with the prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels are each given as numbered clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
s. The exact relations between the clades are slightly unclear. Among these, eleven exclusively Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
species are retained as the genus Spermophilus sensu stricto (in the strictest sense).
- Clade 1, NotocitellusNotocitellusNotocitellus is a genus of ground squirrels, containing two species. These species are the tropical ground squirrel , and the ring-tailed ground squirrel . Notocitellus was formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus Spermophilus, as a subgenus or species group...
, the tropical ground squirrels - Tropical ground squirrelTropical Ground SquirrelThe tropical ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to upland shrub in northern Mexico....
, Notocitellus adocetus - Ring-tailed ground squirrelRing-tailed Ground SquirrelThe ring-tailed ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to the Pacific coast region of central Mexico....
, Notocitellus annulatus
- Clade 2, Ammospermophilus, the antelope squirrels
- See antelope squirrelAntelope squirrelThe antelope squirrels or antelope ground squirrels are the genus Ammospermophilus of sciurids found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico....
.
- Clade 3, OtospermophilusOtospermophilusOtospermophilus is a genus of ground squirrels in the family Sciuridae, containing three species. Otospermophilus was formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus Spermophilus, as a subgenus or species group...
, the rock squirrels - Rock squirrelRock SquirrelThe rock squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Mexico and the United States. It is 43–53 cm long.-External links:**...
, Otospermophilus variegatus - California ground squirrelCalifornia Ground SquirrelThe California ground squirrel , is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California peninsula; it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada...
, Otospermophilus beecheyi - Baja California rock squirrelBaja California Rock SquirrelThe Baja California rock squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to Mexico....
, Otospermophilus atricapillus
- Clade 4, CallospermophilusCallospermophilusCallospermophilus is a genus of ground squirrel.-Species:The genus contains three species:* Golden-mantled ground squirrel * Sierra Madre ground squirrel * Cascade golden-mantled ground squirrel...
, the golden-mantled ground squirrels - Golden-mantled ground squirrelGolden-mantled Ground SquirrelThe golden-mantled ground squirrel, Callospermophilus lateralis, is a type of ground squirrel found in mountainous areas of western North America. It eats seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and underground fungi. It is preyed upon by hawks, jays, weasels, foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. A typical adult...
, Callospermophilus lateralis - Sierra Madre ground squirrelSierra Madre Ground SquirrelThe Sierra Madre ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland....
, Callospermophilus madrensis - Cascade golden-mantled ground squirrelCascade Golden-mantled Ground SquirrelThe Cascade golden-mantled ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in the Cascade Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada and the state of Washington, United States....
, Callospermophilus saturatus
- Clade 5, XerospermophilusXerospermophilusXerospermophilus is a genus of ground squirrels in the family Sciuridae, containing four species. The members of this genus were formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus Spermophilus. Since DNA sequencing of the cytochrome b gene has shown Spermophilus to be paraphyletic to the prairie...
, the pygmy ground squirrels - Mohave ground squirrelMohave Ground SquirrelThe Mohave ground squirrel is a species of ground squirrel found only in the Mojave Desert in California. The squirrel was discovered in 1886 by Frank Stephens of San Diego The Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis) is a species of ground squirrel found only in the Mojave Desert in...
, Xerospermophilus mohavensis - Round-tailed ground squirrelRound-tailed Ground SquirrelThe round-tailed ground squirrel , known as "Ardillón cola redonda" in Spanish, live in the desert of the Southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico. They are called "ground squirrels" because they burrow in loose soil, often under mesquite trees and creosote bushes.-Characteristics:Most...
, Xerospermophilus tereticaudus - Spotted ground squirrelSpotted Ground SquirrelThe spotted ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Mexico and the United States....
, Xerospermophilus spilosoma - Perote ground squirrelPerote Ground SquirrelThe Perote ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland....
, Xerospermophilus perotensis
- Clade 6, Cynomys, the prairie dogs
- See prairie dogPrairie dogPrairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
.
- Clade 7, Poliocitellus
- Franklin's ground squirrelFranklin's ground squirrelFranklin's ground squirrel is a species native to tallgrass American prairie, from Canada to the northcentral United States.The species hibernates from early fall to spring, and bears a litter of 6–8 pups at a time...
, Poliocitellus franklinii
- Clade 8, Ictidomys, little ground squirrels
- Thirteen-lined ground squirrelThirteen-lined ground squirrelThe thirteen-lined ground squirrel , also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, squinney, and as the leopard-spermophile in Audubon’s day, is a ground squirrel....
, Ictidomys tridecemlineatus - Mexican ground squirrelMexican Ground SquirrelThe Mexican ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Mexico and the United States....
, Ictidomys mexicanus - Ictidomys parvidens
- Clade 9, Marmota, the marmots
- See marmotMarmotThe marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
.
- Clade 10, UrocitellusUrocitellusUrocitellus is a genus of ground squirrels. They were previously believed to belong to the much larger genus Spermophilus, but DNA sequencing of the cytochrome b gene showed that this group was paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and marmots,, and could therefore no longer be retained as a single genus...
, HolarcticHolarcticThe Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...
ground squirrels - Long-tailed ground squirrelLong-tailed Ground SquirrelThe long-tailed ground squirrel or Eversmann's souslik is a species of rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia.-Description:...
, Urocitellus undulatus - Uinta ground squirrelUinta ground squirrelThe Uinta ground squirrel , commonly called a Potgut in northern Utah, is a native of the northern Rocky Mountains and surrounding foothills of the United States including Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming...
, Urocitellus armatus - Belding's ground squirrelBelding's Ground SquirrelBelding's ground squirrel , also called pot gut, sage rat or picket-pin, is a squirrel that lives on mountains in the western United States. In California, it often is found at 6,500–11,800 feet in meadows between Lake Tahoe and Kings Canyon...
, Urocitellus beldingi - Idaho ground squirrelIdaho Ground SquirrelThe Idaho ground squirrel is a species of the largest genus of ground squirrels. There are two subspecies, both in Idaho. They are also known as Idaho Spotted Ground Squirrel.-Description:...
, Urocitellus brunneus - Merriam's ground squirrelMerriam's Ground SquirrelMerriam's ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It occurs in the states of Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon in the United States.-Description:...
, Urocitellus canus - Columbian ground squirrelColumbian Ground SquirrelThe Columbian ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Canada and the United States....
, Urocitellus columbianus - Wyoming ground squirrelWyoming Ground SquirrelThe Wyoming ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to the United States....
, Urocitellus elegans - Piute ground squirrelPiute Ground SquirrelThe Piute ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the United States....
, Urocitellus mollis - Arctic ground squirrelArctic Ground SquirrelThe Arctic ground squirrel is a species of ground squirrel native to the Arctic.-Subspecies:Listed alphabetically.*S. p. ablusus Osgood, 1903...
, Urocitellus parryii - Townsend's ground squirrelTownsend's Ground SquirrelThe Townsend's ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in high desert shrublands in several areas of the United States.-Distribution:...
, Urocitellus townsendii - Washington ground squirrelWashington Ground SquirrelThe Washington ground squirrel is a squirrel found in the Pacific Northwest United States, in the states of Washington and Oregon. The species is listed as endangered in Oregon and is a candidate for endangered species listing in the United States, but is not currently listed...
, Urocitellus washingtoni - Richardson's ground squirrelRichardson's Ground SquirrelRichardson's ground squirrel , or the flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Urocitellus...
, Urocitellus richardsonii
- Clade 11, Spermophilus sensu stricto, Old WorldOld WorldThe Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
ground squirrels - European ground squirrelEuropean ground squirrelThe European ground squirrel , also known as the European souslik, is a species from the squirrel family Sciuridae and is besides the speckled ground squirrel the only European representative of the genus Spermophilus...
, Spermophilus citellus - Alashan ground squirrelAlashan Ground SquirrelThe Alashan ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in China and Mongolia....
, Spermophilus alashanicus - Daurian ground squirrelDaurian Ground SquirrelThe Daurian ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in China, Mongolia, and Russia.-Distribution:...
, Spermophilus dauricus - Red-cheeked ground squirrelRed-cheeked Ground SquirrelThe red-cheeked ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is commonly referred to as the red-cheeked ground souslik and there are several recognized subspecies. It is found in central Asia...
, Spermophilus erythrogenys - Yellow ground squirrelYellow Ground SquirrelThe yellow ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan....
, Spermophilus fulvus - Russet ground squirrelRusset Ground SquirrelThe russet ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is also known as the Hibernating Large Ground Squirrel and the Large-Toothed Souslik...
, Spermophilus major - Little ground squirrelLittle ground squirrelThe little ground squirrel or litle souslik, is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Central Asia east to the Aral Sea....
, Spermophilus pygmaeus - Spermophilus relictus
- Speckled ground squirrelSpeckled Ground SquirrelThe speckled ground squirrel or spotted souslik is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. Spermophilus suslicus consists of three subspecies: S. s. boristhenicus, S. s. guttatus, and S. s...
, Spermophilus suslicus - Taurus ground squirrelTaurus ground squirrelThe Taurus ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to the Taurus Mountains of Turkey. It was first identified as a distinct species to the Asia Minor ground squirrel in 2007....
, Spermophilus taurensis - Asia Minor ground squirrelAsia Minor Ground SquirrelThe Asia Minor ground squirrel , or Anatolian souslik, is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Armenia, Iran, and Turkey...
, Spermophilus xanthoprymnus - Spermophilus pallidicaudaSpermophilus pallidicaudaThe pallid ground squirrel, , is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in Mongolia and the adjacent Nei Mongol autonomous region....
- Spermophilus ralliSpermophilus ralliSpermophilus ralli is a species of squirrel found in the grasslands of western China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. A close relative of Spermophilus relictus, it is sometimes considered the same species, and shares the common name Tien Shan ground squirrel.-Description:This ground squirrel is about...
- Spermophilus brevicaudaSpermophilus brevicaudaBrandt’s Ground Squirrel, , is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in eastern Kazakhstan and the northern half of the Xinjiang region of China....