Dipodomys agilis
| Agile Kangaroo Rat
(Dipodomys agilis) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Dipodomyinae |
| Genus: | Dipodomys |
| Binomial details | |
| Dipodomys agilis Gambel, 1848 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Based on chromosomal, allozymic, morphologic, and ecologic differences between two chromosomal forms of Dipodomys agilis, Sullivan & Best (1997) recommended that the 2n = 62 chromosomal form be referred to as Dipodomys agilis and the southern 2n = 60 chromosomal form be given specific status as Dipodomys simulans.
Description
From Wilson et al. (2016): "Tail is 155 % of head-body length. This is a medium-sized kangaroo rat with large ears, five toes on hindfeet (including small claw on side of hindfoot), and narrow skull. Upper parts are dark reddish brown or dusky cinnamon buff; tail is bicolored, with dull brownish-black crest and tuft. Juveniles have a darker pelage than adults and lack elongated crests of hairs on their tails."
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 265–319 | 155–197 | 40–46 | 67–76 | |
| not reported | Wilson et al. (2016) | head and body: 115–125 (males); 107–113 (females) | 170–195 (males); 170–192 (females) | 40–46 | 13–15 | 66–79 (males); 63–78 (females) |
Skull
Habitat
From Price et al. (1991): "Frequents open microhabitats in chaparral and coastal sage-scrub vegetation (Keeley and Keeley, 1988; M'Closkey, 1976; Meserve, 1976; Price and Kramer, 1984) and increases in abundance following wildfires that create open space (Price and Waser, 1984)."
Similar species
From Bleich (1977): "[Dipodomys] stephensi is similar externally to D. agilis, the geographic distribution of which partly coincides with that of stephensi. D. stephensi differs from agilis in having: a relatively wider head; broader arietiform markings; dusky rather than dark soles on the hind feet; few rather than many white hairs in the tail tuft; many hairs in the dorsal and ventral tail stripes having white bases (giving the stripes a grizzled appearance); narrow lateral white tail stripes indistinctly demarcated from the dark stripes, rather than broad, sharply demarcated lateral stripes; ear averaging 15 mm rather than 17 mm in length."
Jameson & Peeters (2004) noted that D. agilis has a white or light spot at the base of the ear pinna, whereas D. stephensi does not. They also note that D. agilis is also similar to D. simulans, but when viewed from above, the auditory bullae are oval in D. agilis and kidney shaped in D. simulans.
From Wilson et al. (2016): "The Agile Kangaroo Rat is most similar to the Dulzura Kangaroo Rat (D. simulans) that is smaller with smaller ears and narrower face; the Narrow-faced Kangaroo Rat (D. venustus) that is larger with longer ears and narrower face; and Heermann’s Kangaroo Rat (D. heermanni) that is larger with smaller ears and wider face."
From Sullivan & Best (1997): "Several characters reliably separate D. agilis from D. simulans, including larger size, narrower skull, and more oval-shaped auditory bullae of D. agilis as viewed from above."
Lua error in Module:Utilities at line 1192: bad argument #1 to 'find' (string expected, got table).
References
Bleich VC. 1977. Dipodomys stephensi. Mammalian Species (73): 1-3.
Gambel W. 1849-03-31. Descriptions of two new California quadrupeds. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 4(4):77-78.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Keeley JE, Keeley SC. 1988. Chaparral, p. 165-208. In: M. G. Barbour and W. D. Billings (eds.). North American terrestrial vegetation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Meserve PL. 1976. Habitat and resource utilization by rodents of a California coastal sage scrub community. Journal of Animal Ecology (45):647-666.
M'Closkey RT. 1976. Community structure in sympatric rodents. Ecology (57):728-739.
Price MV, Kramer KA. 1984. On measuring microhabitat affinities with special reference to small mammals. Oikos (42):349-354.
Price MV, Longland WS, Goldingay RL. 1991. Niche relationships of Dipodomys agilis and D. stephensi: two sympatric kangaroo rats of similar size. American Midland Naturalist: 172-186.
Price MV, Waser NM. 1984. On the relative abundance of species: postfire changes in a coastal sage scrub rodent community. Ecology (65):1161-1169.
Sullivan RM, Best TL. 1997. Systematics and Morphologic Variation in Two Chromosomal Forms of the Agile Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys agilus). Journal of Mammalogy 78(3): 775-797.
Wilson DE, Lacher, Jr TE, Mittermeier RA. 2016. Heteromyidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 170-233, ISBN: 978-84-941892-3-4, DOI: https://zenodo.org/records/6611160