Agile kangaroo rat

Agile kangaroo rat
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Heteromyidae
Genus:	Dipodomys
Species:	D. agilis
Binomial name
Dipodomys agilis Gambel, 1848
Subspecies
D. a. agilis D. a. perplexus

The agile kangaroo rat (Dipodomys agilis) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. ^[2] It is endemic to southern California in the United States. By the 1980s, it was classified as monotypic, though later studies have recognized two subspecies.

Relatively little information has been published on the natural history, life history, ecology, or behavior of the agile kangaroo rat. The species appears to be part of the Californian kangaroo rat radiation, which is derived from a common ancestor with Ord's kangaroo rat. ^[3] An observational study found distinct habitat differences between the agile and Stephens's kangaroo rats, with the agile preferring more shrubs and lighter soils. ^[4]

Taxonomy

William Gambel proposed the scientific name Dipodomys agilis for a jerboa-like animal from Los Angeles in 1848. ^[5] The agile kangaroo rat and other kangaroo rats are classified in the family Heteromyidae. The closest relatives of this family are the pocket gophers.

Subspecies

After Gambel's description of the agile kangaroo rat, several agile kangaroo rat subspecies were described. The authors of the taxonomic authority Mammal Species of the World recognized two subspecies in 2005 with one synonym each. ^[6]

• D. a. agilisGambel, 1848 includes wagneri proposed by Le Conte in 1853
• D. a. perplexus(Merriam, 1907) includes fuscus proposed by Boulware in 1943

A 1983 observation of specimens from 34 populations concluded this species is monotypic, though newer research by Troy L. Best and Robert Miles Sullivan has concluded these two subspecies are valid taxa. ^{[7] [8] [9]} The Dulzura kangaroo rat, which overlaps in range with the agile kangaroo rat, was believed to be a subspecies of the agile kangaroo rat following Joseph Grinnell's classification in 1922, though subsequent studies have confirmed the latter's status as a unique species. ^{[10] [11]}

Description

The agile kangaroo rat exhibits sexual dimorphism; most male agile kangaroo rat specimens are larger than their female counterparts. ^[9] This species is intermediate in size when compared with other kangaroo rat species and has larger ears alongside five toes. ^[12]

References

1. Cassola, F. (2016). "Dipodomys agilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T6684A22228553. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T6684A22228553.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. Patton, J.L. (2005). "Family Heteromyidae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 844. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
3. Hafner, John C., Jessica E. Light, David J. Hafner, Mark S. Hafner, Emily Reddington, Duke S. Rogers, and Brett R. Riddle. 2007. "Basal Clades and Molecular Systematics of Heteromyid Rodents." Journal of Mammalogy 88 (5) (October 1): 1129-1145.
4. Price, Mary V., William S. Longland, and Ross L. Goldingay. 1991. "Niche Relationships of Dipodomys agilis and D. stephensi: Two Sympatric Kangaroo Rats of Similar Size." American Midland Naturalist 126 (1) (July 1): 172-186. doi : 10.2307/2426161.
5. Gambel, William M. (1848-08-29). "Descriptions of two new Californian Quadripeds". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia . 4: 77–78.
6. Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Species Dipodomys agilis". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
7. Best, T. L.; Sullivan, R. M.; Cook, J. A.; Yates, T. L. (1986-09-01). "Chromosomal, Genic, and Morphologic Variation in the Agile Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys Agilis (Rodentia: Heteromyidae)". Systematic Biology. 35 (3): 311–324. doi:10.1093/sysbio/35.3.311. ISSN   1063-5157.
8. Sullivan, R. M.; Best, T. L. (1997-08-22). "Systematics and Morphologic Variation in Two Chromosomal Forms of the Agile Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys agius)". Journal of Mammalogy. 78 (3): 775–797. doi:10.2307/1382936. ISSN   1545-1542.
9. Best, Troy L. 1983. "Intraspecific Variation in the Agile Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys agilis)." Journal of Mammalogy 64 (3): 426-436. doi : 10.2307/1380355.
10. Goldman, E. A.; Grinnell, Joseph (1922). "A Geographical Study of the Kangaroo Rats of California". Journal of Mammalogy. 3 (4): 93. doi:10.2307/1373259.
11. Reid, Fiona (2006). A Field Guide to Mammals of North America, North of Mexico (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN   978-0-395-93596-5.
12. Kays, Roland W.; Wilson, Don Ellis (2009-11-09). Mammals of North America: Second Edition. Princeton University Press. p. 102. ISBN   978-1-4008-3350-4.