Spermophilopsis leptodactyla (Lichtenstein, 1823)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818916 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF84-ED79-FFC7-FDB0FBE1FE0C |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Spermophilopsis leptodactyla |
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Long-clawed Ground Squirrel
French: Ecureuil leptodactyle / German: Langkrallenziesel / Spanish: Ardilla terrestre de unas largas
Taxonomy. Arctomys leptodactylus Lichtenstein, 1823 ,
“Karaata (der warmen Quelle,
140 Werst diesseits Buchara).” Interpreted
by S. I. Ognev in 1966 as “vicinity of Kara
Ata, 140 km northwest of the Old Town of Bukhara,” Uzbekistan.
Widely used specific and subspecific names leptodactylus, bactrianus, and heptopotamicus have been changed for gender agreement. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
S.l.leptodactylaLichtenstein,1823—Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan,SWTadjikistan,NEIran(KhorasanProvince).
S.l.bactrianaScully,1888—NAfghanistan.
S. l. heptopotamica Heptner & Ismagilov, 1952 — S Kazakhstan.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 230-270 mm, tail 27-81 mm, hindfoot 59-62 mm; weight mean 620 g (males) and 548-3 g (females). The Long-clawed Ground Squirrel is medium-sized and has sandy to grayish yellow dorsum; venter is white. Tail is light tan above, with black fringe around edges, and is black on underside. Summer pelage is rough and bristly and molts into long and silky winter pelage. Vibrissae are commonly found on venter. Feet are thickly furred year-round, perhaps to deal with sandy habitats. Claws are exceptionally long, more than 10 mm. Subspecies bactriana has pale fawn dorsum, with brownish head; rump is suffused with rufous; and tail has a subterminal black ring and pale brown tip. Subspecies heptopotamica is the least rufous.
Habitat. Sandy deserts, generally in undisturbed and uncultivated habitats.
Food and Feeding. The L.ongclawed Ground Squirrel is primarily herbivorous, with diet of primarily fruits, seeds, bulbs, and leaves, but it will opportunistically consume insects.
Breeding. Mating occurs in February-March; 3-6 young are born in April-May.
Activity patterns. The Long-clawed Ground Squirrel is diurnal and adjusts activity by season. They stay in burrows during midday heat in summer and forage outside all its time in winter. Cold weather reduces aboveground activity.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Long-clawed Ground Squirrel appearsto live in small family groups in burrows located under brush. Adults can travel up to 1 km from their burrows when foraging in times of food scarcity.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Because of its wide distribution and presumably large population, the Long-clawed Ground Squirrel is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. No information is available on population trend or conservation threats, although it is reportedly hunted for fur in parts ofits distribution.
Bibliography. Hayssen (2008a), Kullmann (1965), Lay (1967), Ognev (1966), Thorington (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
