Robust cottontail
| Robust cottontail | |
|---|---|
| |
| S. h. robustus in Big Bend National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Sylvilagus |
| Species: | S. holzneri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sylvilagus holzneri (Mearns, 1896)
| |
| Subspecies | |
| |
| |
| Range of subspecies S. h. robustus | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sylvilagus cognatus Nelson, 1907 | |
The robust cottontail or Holzner's cottontail (Sylvilagus holzneri) is a species of
Taxonomy
This species and the subspecies comprising it were long considered to be subspecies of the eastern cottontail (S. floridanus), but were promoted to species level due to morphological analysis.[3][4] Genetic data have confirmed the uniqueness of S. holzneri.[5] S. holzneri and S. floridanus are distinguished primarily by size, dental, and cranial differences.
Subspecies
According to genetic analysis, there are three subspecies of S. holzneri:[3]
- S. h. hesperius: endemic to northwestern and central Arizona, from the Hualapai Mountains south to the Sierra Ancha.
- S. h. holzneri: The most widespread subspecies, ranging throughout mountains from southeastern Arizona and south-central New Mexico (aside from the Guadalupe Mountains) south through Mexico along the Sierra Madre Occidental to Sinaloa.
- S. h. robustus or Davis Mountains cottontail: historically, this subspecies was known to be endemic to four mountain ranges. In Texas, it was known in the Guadalupe Mountains, Davis Mountains and Chisos Mountains. In New Mexico it was also known from the Guadalupe Mountains. In Coahuila, Mexico, it is known from the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range. The Chisos and Guadalupe Mountains populations are suspected to be extirpated.[1] It is considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
All three of these were previously considered subspecies of S. floridanus. One (robustus) was already resurrected as a distinct species in 1998, and was considered as such until being reclassified as a subspecies of the newly-resurrected holzneri in 2021, with the common name "robust cottontail" carrying over to holzneri.[2][6]
"Manzano Mountain cottontail"
The Manzano Mountain cottontail (S. cognatus) was a species of Sylvilagus also previously classified in S. floridanus, until it was later reclassified as a distinct species. This species was thought to be restricted to the
Description
S. holzneri typically averages a total length of 42 cm, and weighs between 1.3 and 1.8 kg.[7] It is restricted to dry, brushy, mountains at elevations above 1500 meters.[7]
Conservation
Despite the rarity of S. h. robustus, currently no governmental agency provides protection or listing for this subspecies.[1]
References
- Rabbits and hares portal
Mammals portal
- ^ a b c Ruedas, L. & Smith, A.T. (2020) [errata version of 2019 assessment]. "Sylvilagus robustus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T41310A165116781.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ S2CID 236295647.
- JSTOR 1383027.
- .
- JSTOR 1383027.
- ^ a b The mammals of Texas: 2nd edition By David J. Schmidly, William B. Davis. 2004. pp. 466–467. University of Texas Press.