Thomomys mazama
| Western Pocket Gopher
(Thomomys mazama) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
| Superfamily: | Geomyoidea |
| Family: | Geomyidae |
| Subfamily: | Geomyinae |
| Tribe: | Thomomyini |
| Genus: | Thomomys |
| Binomial details | |
| Thomomys mazama C. H. Merriam, 1897 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Description
The dorsal coloration of Thomomys mazama is variable. Verts & Carraway (2000) provided descriptions for each of the subspecies: "Color of dorsal pelage ranges from a shiny black with purplish and greenish iridescence in T. m. niger to blackish brown in T. m. tumuli and T. m. pugetensis to dark brown in T. m. fuscus and T. m. louiei to reddish brown in T. m. hesperus, T. m. mazama, T. m. helleri, and T. m. melanops to reddish tan in T. m. couchi and T. m. tacomensis to light yellowish brown in T. m. nasicus, T. m. premaxillaris, and T m. glacialis to light brown in T. m. oregonus and T. m. yelmensis (Bailey, 1915; Dalquest and Scheffer, 1942; Taylor, 1919). Nose and face usually are dusky, plumbeous, or blackish; chin, feet, and tip of tail commonly are light gray, white, or buff; and the chest commonly contains white splotches (Bailey, 1915). Tip of tail may be naked or nearly so." Additionally, "the subaricular dark patch of fur is five to six times as large as the ear."
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) | 175–262 | 45–79 | 21–32 | 7–8.5 | 90–120 |
Skull
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Holotype: 80502. Thomomys mazama. Adult male. Head of Anna Creek, Crater Lake, Mount Mazama, Klamath County, Oregon. Collected 3 September 1896. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: 80502. Thomomys mazama. Adult male. Head of Anna Creek, Crater Lake, Mount Mazama, Klamath County, Oregon. Collected 3 September 1896. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: 80502. Thomomys mazama. Adult male. Head of Anna Creek, Crater Lake, Mount Mazama, Klamath County, Oregon. Collected 3 September 1896. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: 80502. Thomomys mazama. Adult male. Head of Anna Creek, Crater Lake, Mount Mazama, Klamath County, Oregon. Collected 3 September 1896. Dorsal view of the mandible. -
Holotype: 80502. Thomomys mazama. Adult male. Head of Anna Creek, Crater Lake, Mount Mazama, Klamath County, Oregon. Collected 3 September 1896. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Similar species
Key to the species of Thomomys by Verts and Carraway (2005)
References
Bailey V. 1915. Revision of the pocket gophers of the genus Thomomys. North American Fauna 39:1-13.
Dalquest WW, Scheffer VB. 1942. Three new pocket gophers (genus Thomomys) from western Washington. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 55:95-98.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Taylor WP. 1919. A new pocket gopher from western Washington. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 32:169-172.
Verts BJ, Carraway LN. 2000. Thomomys mazama. Mammalian Species 2000(641):1-7.