Geomys personatus
| Texas Pocket Gopher
(Geomys personatus) | |
|---|---|
| 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 personatus F. W. True, 1889 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
The Texas Pocket Gopher (Geomys personatus) is a large pocket gopher occurring in deep, sandy soils in southern Texas and northeastern Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Description
From Schmidly and Bradley (2016): "A large, pale drab or grayish drab species with relatively long, scant-haired tail, the distal half nearly naked; upper incisors with two grooves; underparts marbled white and dusky."
Museum specimens
-
Holotype: 32031/43845. Geomys personatus fallax. Adult male. South side of Nueces Bay, Nueces County, Texas. Collected 30 November 1891. -
Holotype: 32031/43845. Geomys personatus fallax. Adult male. South side of Nueces Bay, Nueces County, Texas. Collected 30 November 1891.
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) | males: 321; females: 303 | males: 110; females: 103 | males: 41; females: 39 | up to 400 |
Skull
-
Holotype: 32031/43845. Geomys personatus fallax. Adult male. South side of Nueces Bay, Nueces County, Texas. Collected 30 November 1891. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: 32031/43845. Geomys personatus fallax. Adult male. South side of Nueces Bay, Nueces County, Texas. Collected 30 November 1891. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: 32031/43845. Geomys personatus fallax. Adult male. South side of Nueces Bay, Nueces County, Texas. Collected 30 November 1891. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: 32031/43845. Geomys personatus fallax. Adult male. South side of Nueces Bay, Nueces County, Texas. Collected 30 November 1891. Dorsal view of the mandible. -
Holotype: 32031/43845. Geomys personatus fallax. Adult male. South side of Nueces Bay, Nueces County, Texas. Collected 30 November 1891. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Similar species
Comparison with Cratogeomys castanops
The range of the Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher (Cratogeomys castanops) overlaps with that of Geomys personatus. The Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher (Cratogeomys castanops) is dull yellowish brown in color, with one deep groove on the outer face of each upper incisor; feet blackish, whereas Geomys personatus is pale drab or grayish drab in color, with two longitudinal grooves on outer face of each upper incisor; feet white (Baker and Genoways, 1975; Schmidly and Bradley, 2016).
-
Texas Pocket Gopher (Geomys personatus) photographed by Ben Horstmann on Padre Island, Corpus Christi, Texas. -
Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher (Cratogeomys castanops) photographed by Marco Zozaya in Coahuila, Mexico.
Comparison with Geomys streckeri
-
Texas Pocket Gopher (Geomys personatus) photographed by Ben Horstmann on Padre Island, Corpus Christi, Texas. -
Strecker's Pocket Gopher (Geomys streckeri) photographed by Robert Dowler near Carrizo Springs, Texas.
Comparison with Geomys texensis
-
Texas Pocket Gopher (Geomys personatus) photographed by Ben Horstmann on Padre Island, Corpus Christi, Texas. -
Llano Pocket Gopher (Geomys texensis) photographed by George Afghan in Mason County, Texas.
References
Bradley RD, Pham AT, Rich KA, Roberts EK, Soniat TJ, Poehlein CM, Mills MN, Ballard M, Pitts RM, Lindsey LL, Halsey MK. 2023. Genetic identification of pocket gophers (Genera Cratogeomys, Geomys, and Thomomys) in Texas and surrounding areas. Museum of Texas Tech University.
Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.
True FW. 1889-01-05. Description of Geomys personatus and Dipodomys compactus, two new species of rodents from Padre Island, Texas. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 11:159-160.