Thomomys (Megascapheus) townsendii (Bachman 1839)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Geomyidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 859-870 : 869

Thomomys (Megascapheus) townsendii (Bachman 1839)

Thomomys (Megascapheus) townsendii (Bachman 1839) , J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 8: 105.

Type Locality: USA, erroneously given as "Columbia River", but restricted to Idaho, Canyon Co., near Nampa, by Bailey (1915).

Vernacular Names: Townsend's Pocket Gopher.

Subspecies: :

Subspecies Thomomys (Megascapheus) townsendii subsp. townsendii (Bachman 1839)

Subspecies Thomomys (Megascapheus) townsendii subsp. nevadensis ( Merriam 1897)

Distribution: Snake River Valley of Idaho south and west to SE Oregon, NE California, and N Nevada ( USA).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Megascapheus . Revised by Davis (1937) and Rogers (1991 a, b), who recognized only two valid subspecies ( townsendii and nevadensis). Considered a distinct species by Thaeler (1968 b), Patton et al. (1984), Patton and Smith (1989, 1994), and Rogers (1991 a, b), despite limited hybridization with bottae in NE California. Hall (1981:469, 495) reviewed Thaeler's evidence and included townsendii in umbrinus (sensu Hall) .