Geomys lutescens
| Sand Hills Pocket Gopher
(Geomys lutescens) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
| Superfamily: | Geomyoidea |
| Family: | Geomyidae |
| Subfamily: | Geomyinae |
| Tribe: | Geomyini |
| Genus: | Geomys |
| Subgenus: | Geomys (subgenus) |
| Binomial details | |
| Geomys lutescens C. H. Merriam, 1890 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
The Sand Hills Pocket Gopher (Geomys lutescens) is a medium-sized pocket gopher restricted to prairies and pastures with deep, sandy soils.
Description
From Álvarez-Castañeda (2024): "Dorsal pelage pale brown to brown but generally with buff to pale yellowish shades and back darker than flanks; fur of under parts paler than flanks; back of the head darker; ears paler than the general coloration; tail in some individuals paler than the dorsal pelage."
Museum specimens
-
Holotype: 16677/23595. Geomys lutescens. Adult male. Sandhills on Birdwood Creek, Lincoln County, Nebraska. Collected 27 May 1889. -
Holotype: 16677/23595. Geomys lutescens. Adult male. Sandhills on Birdwood Creek, Lincoln County, Nebraska. Collected 27 May 1889.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska (north of the Platte River) | Sudman et al. (1987) | 227–266 (n=11) | 66–87 (n=11) | 29–34 (n=11) | ||
| Nebraska (south of the Platte River) and Kansas | Sudman et al. (1987) | 210–274 (n=69) | 56–80 (n=69) | 25–35 (n=69) |
Skull
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Holotype: 16677/23595. Geomys lutescens. Adult male. Sandhills on Birdwood Creek, Lincoln County, Nebraska. Collected 27 May 1889. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: 16677/23595. Geomys lutescens. Adult male. Sandhills on Birdwood Creek, Lincoln County, Nebraska. Collected 27 May 1889. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: 16677/23595. Geomys lutescens. Adult male. Sandhills on Birdwood Creek, Lincoln County, Nebraska. Collected 27 May 1889. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: 16677/23595. Geomys lutescens. Adult male. Sandhills on Birdwood Creek, Lincoln County, Nebraska. Collected 27 May 1889. Dorsal view of the mandible. -
Holotype: 16677/23595. Geomys lutescens. Adult male. Sandhills on Birdwood Creek, Lincoln County, Nebraska. Collected 27 May 1889. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Similar species
References
Álvarez-Castañeda ST. 2024. Mammals of North America-Volume 2: Systematics and Taxonomy. Springer Nature.
Chambers RR, Sudman PD, Bradley RD. 2009. A phylogenetic assessment of pocket gophers (Geomys): evidence from nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Journal of Mammalogy 90(3): 537-547.
Coffman CN, Haynie ML. 2024. Genetic Evidence for the Presence of Geomys jugossicularis in the Oklahoma panhandle. Western North American Naturalist 84(3):320-334.
Genoways HH, Hamilton MJ, Bell DS, Chambers RR, Bradley RD. 2008. Hybrid zones, genetic isolation, and systematics of pocket gophers (genus Geomys) in Nebraska. Journal of Mammalogy 89:826–836.
Hooper ET. 1940. A new race of pocket gopher of the species Geomys lutescens from Colorado. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 420:1-3.
Merriam CH. 1890-10-08. Description of a new pocket gopher of the genus Geomys, from western Nebraska. North American Fauna 4:51-52.
Sudman PD, Choate JR, Zimmerman EG. 1987. Taxonomy of chromosomal races of Geomys bursarius lutescens Merriam. Journal of Mammalogy 68(3):526-543.
Sudman PD, Wickliffe JK, Horner P, Smolen MJ, Bickham JW, Bradley RD. 2006. Molecular systematics of pocket gophers of the genus Geomys. Journal of Mammalogy 87:668–676.