The tropical ground squirrel (''Notocitellus adocetus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

in the family

Sciuridae 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 ...

. At one time the species was originally described as ''Spermophilus adocetus'', but the genus ''

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 ...

'' was revised and subdivided in 2009 and it was placed in the genus '' Notocitellus''. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to arid upland areas and deciduous woodland in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is locally referred to as Cuinique.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1903 by the American zoologist

Clinton Hart Merriam Clinton Hart Merriam (December 5, 1855 – March 19, 1942) was an American zoologist, mammalogist, ornithologist, entomologist, ecologist, ethnographer, geographer, natural history, naturalist and physician. He was commonly known as the "father o ...

as ''Spermophilus adocetus''. In a revision of the genus ''

'' in 2009, Helgen determined that it should be split into eight genera, each one of which was morphologically distinct and shown to be a monophyletic

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

by phylogenetic analyses. One such genus was '' Notocitellus'', comprising the two species ''N. adocetus'', the tropical ground squirrel, and ''N. annulatus'', the ring-tailed ground squirrel.

Description

The tropical ground squirrel is smaller than its sister species, the ring-tailed ground squirrel (''Notocitellus annulatus''). The ears are more rounded, the snout is shorter and broader, the colour is paler and the tail is unringed. Many black hairs are mingled with the cinnamon brown fur, the head, upper back and bushy tail being darker than the rest of the pelage. The underparts and inner sides of the limbs are yellowish and there are faint pale streaks above and below the eye. Females have a head-and-body length of with a tail of , while males are a little larger.

Distribution and habitat

The tropical ground squirrel is endemic to Mexico, where its range includes the states of

State of Mexico The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, and

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

, most of this range being in the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt at altitudes up to about . Its typical habitat is arid rocky areas, such as canyons and cliffs, with sparse vegetation,

mesquite Mesquite is a common name for some plants in the genera ''Neltuma'' and '' Strombocarpa'', which contain over 50 species of spiny, deep-rooted leguminous shrubs and small trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. Until 2022, these ge ...

and barrel cacti, and deciduous woodland. Some of this habitat has been converted to low level agricultural use, and the ground squirrel has adapted to this change in land use by feeding on crops.

Ecology

The tropical ground squirrel is a social, diurnal species that is active throughout most of the year. It digs complex burrows that are up to deep, under walls or rocks, or at the base of trees. It is omnivorous, but the diet consists mainly of seeds and fruits, especially those of ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

'', ''

Prosopis ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Previously it also contained around 40 species ...

'', ''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively Drupe, stonefruit). The genus has a cosm ...

'' and ''

Crescentia ''Crescentia'' (calabash tree, huingo, krabasi, or kalebas) is a genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. The species are moderate-size tre ...

''. It also eats green shoots, and on agricultural land will feed on

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

and

bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...

s. Food is mostly gathered in the morning between the hours of 9.00 and 11.00, stuffed into the cheek pouches and carried back to the burrow for later consumption. If food is scarce in the hottest part of the year, this ground squirrel may

aestivate Aestivation ( (summer); also spelled estivation in American English) is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is characterized by inactivity and a lowered me ...

for a short time. It may breed throughout the year in farmland but in deciduous woodland it probably breeds between May and June before the start of the wet season. The population size varies widely from year to year. In remote places, this ground squirrel is shy but when living near humans it becomes habituated to them and is more bold, scampering away when humans come close and watching their activity while perched on a wall, or taking refuge in a crevice and peering out. Although in the wild, it eats mostly seeds and fruits, in captivity, it can eat corn, meat, lettuce, tortillas, and bread. When feeding, it sits on its haunches and pushes food into its mouth using its front feet.

Status

The tropical ground squirrel is a common species in suitable habitat, with populations varying widely from year to year. It has a wide range and a presumed large total population. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has identified no particular threats to this species and has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q603590 Notocitellus Endemic mammals of Mexico Balsas dry forests Mammals described in 1903 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Clinton Hart Merriam Fauna of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt