Xerospermophilus
| Xerospermophilus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Round-tailed ground squirrel in Phoenix, Arizona | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Tribe: | Marmotini |
| Genus: | Xerospermophilus Merriam, 1892 |
| Species | |
Pygmy ground squirrels are small
paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and marmots,[1] this group is now separated, along with six other genera.[2] Within the genus, the Mohave ground squirrel and the round-tailed ground squirrel were thought to be close relatives, sometimes a subgenus Xerospermophilus, while the spotted ground squirrel and the Perote ground squirrel were formerly placed in the subgenus (now a genus) Ictidomys.[2]
The name of the genus is a combination of the Greek word xeros, "dry", and Spermophilus, which also comes from Greek, meaning "seed lovers".[2]
Species
The four species in Xerospermophilus are listed below. These were previously grouped in the subgenus Otospermophilus together with the rock squirrel and other related species.[2]
- Mohave ground squirrel, Xerospermophilus mohavensis
- Perote ground squirrel, Xerospermophilus perotensis
- Spotted ground squirrel, Xerospermophilus spilosoma
- Round-tailed ground squirrel, Xerospermophilus tereticaudus
References
- PMID 15120398.
- ^ doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-309.1. Archived from the original(PDF) on 15 April 2012.