Ammospermophilus interpres
| Texas Antelope Squirrel
(Ammospermophilus interpres) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Sciuromorpha |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Subfamily: | Xerinae |
| Tribe: | Marmotini |
| Genus: | Ammospermophilus |
| Binomial details | |
| Ammospermophilus interpres (Merriam, 1890) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
| Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Schmidly & Bradley (2016) | 226 | 74 | 38 | males: 104 (94–121); females: 104 (84–115) |
Similar species
From Best et al. (1990): "The Texas antelope squirrel is medium to large-sized for the genus, and has the longest tail and hind limbs. The skull is relatively broad and short, with a robust rostrumand shallow braincase. Compared to A. leucurus, A. interpres is slightly smaller. The skull is much blockier in outline, with a heavier rostrum and more flattened braincase. Compared to the paler, reddish pelage of A. leucurus, that of A. interpres is uniformly dark, with no apparent rufous tint. Further, two distinct black bands are visible on the undersurfac e of the tail of A. interpres, in contrast to a single band visible in A. leucurus. Compared to A. harrisii, which is similar in dorsal coloration, A. interpresis most easily distinguished by the tail banding pattern: the undersurface of the tail of A. harrisii is gray or has a salt and pepper appearance due to multiple banding of the tail hairs. The skull of A. harrisii is slightly larger, with relatively larger auditory bullae (especially due to expansion of the anterior bullar cell), but the tail and hind limbs are proportionally smaller in A. harrisii. The baculum of A. interpres, compared to that of A. leucurus and A. harrisii, is wider, more fan-shaped, and has a more pronounced shaft angle (Hafner, 1981)."
References
Best TL, Lewis CL, Caesar K, Titus AS. 1990. Ammospermophilus interpres Mammalian Species (365): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1093/mspecies/365.1
Hafner DJ. 1981. Evolution and historical zoogeography of antelope ground squirrels, genus Ammospermophilus (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 225 pp.
Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.