| Desert pocket gopher | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Geomyidae |
| Genus: | Geomys |
| Species: | G. arenarius |
| Binomial name | |
| Geomys arenarius Merriam, 1895 | |
The desert pocket gopher (Geomys arenarius) is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico and in Texas and New Mexico in the United States. [1]
Geomys arenarius is a medium sized rodent, with a relatively long and hairy tail, and pale coloration. [2] Like other gophers, their bodies are thicker than other rodents, eyes are reduced, and they are equipped with large, strong-clawed forelimbs allowing them to be fossorial. [2] Their fur is a dull brown along their backs, with scattered black tipped hairs. [2] The dull brown coloration continues dorsally and laterally until it reaches the chest, abdomen and feet, where it sometimes blends with the white hair of these areas. [2]
The desert pocket gopher is in the genus Geomys, within the family Geomyidae within the order Rodentia. The evolutionary history of Geomys arenarius has been studied by several different parties, but the exact phylogeny is still being decided. While there was evidence to give the Geomys arenarius its own taxon based on genetic and morphological uniqueness, some researchers believe it is actually a subspecies of Geomys bursarius because of the similarities between the two rodents. [3] No solid argument has been made to dispute the status of Geomys arenarius as its own species, but many researchers report that it is a subspecies, it has merely been separated by allopatric speciation. [2] When this species is given full species status, two subspecies are recognized, G. a arenarius and G. a. brevirostris. [4]
Desert pocket gophers mostly inhabit a narrow strip of land following the upper Rio Grande Valley from Chihuahua, Mexico, then proceeding north and west into parts of New Mexico [2] and Texas [5] in the United States. Due to their restricted home range size, they are isolated from other members of Geomys. [6]
This species has a very patchy and disjointed distribution. The subspecies G. a. brevirostris is the more northern subspecies. The main G. a. brevirostris population is in White Sands National Park in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico. Two small populations of this subspecies occur: one south of Gran Quivira and one in the Jornada del Muerto basin. G. a. arenarius is more widespread, living along the Rio Grande and its tributaries, in southern New Mexico, western Texas, and northern Chihuahua. The population in the Deming Plains near Columbus, New Mexico is possibly extinct. [1]
Desert pocket gophers prefer areas of well-traveled, loose soil, or sandy riverbanks; places that are easy to tunnel into and make a burrow. [2] They are commonly found near open water like rivers, ponds, or irrigation canals. The areas they inhabit are usually skirted by rocky plains or desert. [2] Their preferred climate is one that is arid and moisture deficient, where summers are long and hot and winters are short and moderate in temperature. [2]
In comparison to other gopher species, the desert pocket gopher-depending on the properties of the soil-can have a significant effect on the soils in the habitats it dwells in because it causes more disturbance from its digging than other species do. [7]
Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within the genus Heteromys are also found in forests and their range extends as far south as northern South America. They feed mostly on seeds and other plant parts, which they carry in their fur-lined cheek pouches to their burrows.
Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 species are all endemic to North and Central America. They are commonly known for their extensive tunneling activities and their ability to destroy farms and gardens.
The smooth-toothed pocket gophers, genus Thomomys, are so called because they are among the only pocket gophers without grooves on their incisors. They are also called the western pocket gophers because they are distributed in western North America. They are considered distinct enough from other pocket gophers to be recognized as a separate subfamily or tribe.
Botta's pocket gopher is a pocket gopher native to western North America. It is also known in some areas as valley pocket gopher, particularly in California. Both the specific and common names of this species honor Paul-Émile Botta, a naturalist and archaeologist who collected mammals in California in 1827 and 1828.
The yellow-faced pocket gopher is a species of pocket gopher that is native to shortgrass prairies in the south-western United States and northern Mexico. It is the species that lives north of the Southern Coahuila Filter-Barrier (SCFB). Among the different species, the yellow-faced pocket gopher has a small to medium-sized skull. The fossil of this genus was recorded from the pre-Pleistocene Benson Beds of Arizona.
The plains pocket gopher is one of 35 species of pocket gophers, so named in reference to their externally located, fur-lined cheek pouches. They are burrowing animals, found in grasslands and agricultural land across the Great Plains of North America, from Manitoba to Texas. Pocket gophers are the most highly fossorial rodents found in North America.
The Texas pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Tamaulipas in Mexico and in Texas in the United States.
The central Texas pocket gopher or Llano pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to central Texas in the United States.
The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse is a species of heteromyid rodent endemic to Mexico. The specific name spectabilis means "striking", and refers to the animal's relatively bright coloration. It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys.
Heterogeomys is a genus of rodent in the family Geomyidae, found in Mexico, Central America and Colombia. Heterogeomys are a small genus of rodents commonly known as pocket gophers, though the term applies to all genera within the family Geomyidae. The name pocket gopher was earned for this family because of their fur lined cheek pouches that can be used for carrying food. These pouches can also be turned inside out. Species of Heterogeomys are regarded as pests, one of less than 5% of rodent species classified as pests, and the history of man's attempts to control their populations reaches back into Mayan times. Despite some efforts to the contrary, populations of Heterogeomys seem to be on a general upwards trend. Furthermore, all of the species of Heterogeomys are considered to be of Least Concern in the World Status Key.
The Darien pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is occurs in Panama and Colombia. Some authors classify it in the genus Orthogeomys, but recent research has allowed this and its related species to be classified in the genus Heterogeomys.
The giant pocket gopher, also known as the Oaxacan pocket gopher, is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. It is the type species of the genus Orthogeomys; some zoologists also include in this genus species that have recently been placed in Heterogeomys.
Buller's pocket gopher is a species of gopher that is endemic to Mexico.
The smoky pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is endemic to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in Mexico, in the states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Hidalgo, Estado de Mexico, and the Mexican Federal District. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Molecular phylogenetics has revealed that this species also includes the animals formerly separated as C. gymnurus, C. neglectus, C. tylorhinus and C. zinseri.
The Idaho pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is rather small, with a lightly built skull. Its fur color varies through the body and between individuals. Found in the western United States, it inhabits savannas, shrubland, and grasslands. Individuals live alone in burrows, staying active year-round. Many aspects of its behavior and biology are not well understood. The species is classified as being of least-concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The southern pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States, usually in high altitude grassland and shrubland. It feeds on plant material and has an extensive burrow above which is a large heap of earth on the surface of the ground.
The Michoacan pocket gopher is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It is monotypic within the genus Zygogeomys. It is endemic to Mexico where its natural habitat is temperate, high-altitude forests. Its numbers are declining and it is listed by the IUCN as "endangered".
Knox Jones's pocket gopher is a species of pocket gopher found in Texas and New Mexico. This species is named for Dr. J. Knox Jones Jr. (1929–1992), a prolific mammalogist at Texas Tech University.
The Oriental Basin pocket gopher is a species of pocket gopher which is endemic to Mexico. It was first described in 1895 by Clinton Hart Merriam. It was considered to be a subspecies of Merriam's pocket gopher in the late 20th and early 21st century but has been reinstated as its own species. The IUCN Red List has evaluated it to be of least concern.
The Perote pocket gopher, or Cofre de Perote pocket gopher, is a species of pocket gopher in the family Geomyidae.
