Dipodomys stephensi
| Stephens's Kangaroo Rat
(Dipodomys stephensi) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Dipodomyinae |
| Genus: | Dipodomys |
| Binomial details | |
| Dipodomys stephensi (Merriam, 1907) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Description
From Bleich (1977): "The size is medium for the genus; five toes are present on the hind foot; the tail is 1.45 times the length of head and body, bicolored, and crested."
From Jameson & Peeters (2004): A medium-sized, rather dark kangaroo rat with five toes on the hind foot. The tail is crested and conspicuously striped, with black stripes having many white hairs.
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 | Grinnell (1922) and Lackey (1967) | 277–300 | 164–180 | 39–43 | 13–16 | 67.26 (n=14) |
| California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 277–300 | 164–180 | 39–43 | 60–74 |
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."
From Jameson & Peeters (2004): This species is similar to the Pacific Kangaroo Rat (D. agilis), with which it may occur, but the Pacific Kangaroo Rat has very few white hairs in the black tail stripes. Stephens' Kangaroo Rat also has ear pinnae of an even yellow brown color, whereas in the Pacific Kangaroo Rat, the pinnae have light spots at the base.
Skull characters
From Bleich (1977): "Distinguishing cranial characters include: the auditory bullae, which are "elongate globose" when viewed from above, and are as wide as the skull when viewed from behind (see Grinnell, 1922: pls. 4 and 6); the foramen magnum, which has a rounded dorsal perimeter (in most specimens of agilis the dorsal perimeter is angular); the broad posterior jugal base which is craniomedially directed (in agilis the jugal base is narrow and cranially directed); and the medially curved extreme caudal portion of the suture between each nasal and premaxilla lateral to it (in agilis, this suture is straight in the caudal portion)."
References
Bleich VC. 1977. Dipodomys stephensi. Mammalian Species (73): 1-3.
Grinnell, J. 1922. A geographical study of the kangaroo rats of California. University of California Publications in Zoology 24: 1-124.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.