''Tamias'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks are classified as four genera: '' ...

s in the tribe Marmotini of the

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

family. The genus includes a single living species, the

eastern chipmunk The eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus'') is a chipmunk species found in eastern North America. It is the only living member of the genus ''Tamias''. Etymology The name "chipmunk" probably comes from the Ojibwe word (or possibly ''ajidamoonh ...

(''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' () means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper", which is a reference to the animals' role in plant dispersal through their habit of collecting and storing food for winter use. The genus ''Tamias'' was formerly divided into three subgenera that, in sum, included all chipmunk species: ''Tamias'', the

and other fossil species; ''

Eutamias ''Eutamias'' is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It includes a single living species, the Siberian chipmunk (''Eutamias sibiricus''). The genus is often treated as a subgenus of ''Tamias'', which is now res ...

'', of which the

Siberian chipmunk The Siberian chipmunk (''Eutamias sibiricus''), also called common chipmunk, is a species of chipmunk native to northern Asia from central Russia to China, Korea, and Hokkaidō in northern Japan. It was imported from South Korea and introduced i ...

(''E. sibiricus'') is the only living member; and ''

Neotamias ''Neotamias'' is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It contains 23 species, which mostly occur in western North America. Along with '' Eutamias'', this genus is often considered a subgenus of ''Tamias ''Ta ...

'', which includes the 23 remaining, mostly western, species. These classifications are subjective, and most taxonomies over the twentieth century have placed the chipmunks in a single genus. However, studies of

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondrion, mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the D ...

show that the divergence between each of the three chipmunk groups is comparable to the genetic dissimilarity between '' Marmota'' and ''

Spermophilus ''Spermophilus'' is a genus of ground squirrels in the Sciuridae, squirrel family. As traditionally defined the genus was very species-rich, ranging through Europe, Asia and North America, but this arrangement was found to be paraphyletic to ...

'', so they are now often considered as separate genera. In addition to the eastern chipmunk, some fossil species from

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

have been assigned to this genus: *''

Tamias allobrogensis ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' () means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper" ...

''; Mein and Ginsburg, 2002 – Miocene of France *'' Tamias anatoliensis''; Bosma et al., 2013 – Miocene of Turkey *''

Tamias atsali ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' () means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper" ...

''; De Bruijn, 1995 – Pliocene of Greece *''

Tamias eviensis ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' () means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper" ...

''; De Bruijn et al., 1980 – Miocene of GreeceDoukas, 2003, table 2 *''

Tamias urialis ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' () means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper", ...

''; Munthe, 1980, described from the Miocene of Pakistan, may be more closely related to '' Tamiops''.Qiu et al., 2008, p. 115 One American fossil species, ''

Tamias aristus ''Tamias aristus'' is an extinct species of chipmunk that lived during the late Pleistocene epoch. It was characterized from a fossilized skull found in a limestone quarry in Ladds, Bartow County, Georgia. The name is derived from the Greek aris ...

'' from the late Pleistocene, has been identified.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22364 Rodent genera Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger Mammal genera with one living species Articles containing video clips