Ammospermophilus leucurus
| White-tailed Antelope Squirrel
(Ammospermophilus leucurus) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Sciuromorpha |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Subfamily: | Xerinae |
| Tribe: | Marmotini |
| Genus: | Ammospermophilus |
| Binomial details | |
| Ammospermophilus leucurus (C. H. Merriam, 1889) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
The White-tailed Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) is a ground squirrel found in rocky, arid valleys to pinyon-juniper woodlands in the western United States and the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico.
Description
From Hoffmeister (1986): "Winter pelage grizzly black to brownish; summer pelage lighter, buff or cinnamon; tail short, blackish above, white with a black fringe below; one whitish stripe along each side from shoulder to rump."
Museum specimens
Holotype: USNM 186466. Ammospermophilus leucurus leucurus. Adult male. San Gorgonio Pass, Riverside County, California. Collected 16 May 1885. 
Holotype: USNM 186466. Ammospermophilus leucurus leucurus. Adult male. San Gorgonio Pass, Riverside County, California. Collected 16 May 1885. 
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. 
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. 
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Hoffmeister (1986) | 194–238 (n=58) | 50–77 (n=58) | 34–43 (n=58) | ||
| California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 211–233 | 63–71 | 35–40 | 8–11 | 74–103 |
| Colorado | Armstrong et al. (2010) | 190–240 | 55–90 | 35–45 | 9–11 | 80–110 |
Skull
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. Dorsal view of the skull. 
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. Ventral view of the skull. 
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. Lateral view of the skull. 
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. Dorsal view of the mandible. 
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Similar species
From Belk & Smith (1991): "Diagnostic characteristics of A. leucurus include white median on underside of tail with only one black subterminal band and presence of fully formed anterior premolars."
Holotype: USNM 17987/24898. Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Adult female. Echo Cliffs, Painted Desert, Coconino County, Arizona. Collected 22 September 1889. Ventral view of the skull. Ventral view of the skull of the White-tailed Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) showing the presence of fully formed anterior premolars.
References
Armstrong DM, Fitzgerald JP, Meaney CA. 2010. Mammals of Colorado, Second Edition. Denver (CO, USA): University Press of Colorado.
Belk MC, Smith HD. 1991. Ammospermophilus leucurus. Mammalian Species (368): 1-8.
Hall ER. 1981. The mammals of North America. 2 vols. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Hoffmeister DF. 1986. Mammals of Arizona. Tucson (AZ, USA): University of Arizona Press.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Merriam, C.H. 1889-10-30. Description of a new species of ground squirrel from the arid lands of the Southwest. North American Fauna 2:19-22.