Tamias canipes (V. Bailey, 1902)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818952 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF9B-ED66-FF68-FEFDFB23FFDC |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Tamias canipes |
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Gray-footed Chipmunk
French: Tamia a pattes grises / German: GraufulR-Backenhornchen / Spanish: Ardilla listada de patas grises
Taxonomy. Eutamias cinericollis canipes Bailey, 1902 ,
“Guadalupe Mts,”
Culber-
son County, Texas, USA. Restricted by
A. H. Howell in 1929 to head of Dog Canyon, at 2130 m of altitude.
Two subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
T: c. sacramentoensis Fleharty, 1960 — Sacramento Mts in SC New Mexico (USA).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 128:7-131-6 mm, tail 98-4-107-8 mm; weight mean 70 g. The Gray-footed Chipmunk is small, and easily distinguished from the other Tamias species by gray coloration of upper surface of its hindfeet. Only one subspecies, sacramentoensis, has sexual dimorphism, with males being smaller than females, the other, canipes does not. Chromosome number of the Gray-footed Chipmunk is 2n = 38. Karyotypeis type A for Tamias and consists of four pairs of metacentric autosomes, six pairs of submetacentric autosomes, eight pairs of acrocentric autosomes, a submetacentric X chromosome, and an acrocentric Y chromosome.
Habitat. Forests, scrub forests, lava flows, and rocky outcrops of the transition and Canadian life zones, at elevations of ¢.1600-3600 m. The Gray-footed Chipmunk appears to prefer forests edges with high amounts of downed woody debris, butis also common in stands of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinaceae) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa, Pinaceae). It is not sympatric with any other Tamias species.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Gray-footed Chipmunk is primarily conifer seeds, oak acorns, and fruits of several species, such as juniper. During late summer and entire winter,it is reported to depend mostly on acorns.
Breeding. Females produce onelitter a year, in the period between late May and June. Young reach mature size in early autumn.
Activity patterns. The Gray-footed Chipmunk is diurnal, with an activity peak in the morning. It forages mostly on the ground, but also climbstrees, such as oaks to harvest acorns. Nests are built in stumps, fallen logs or underground dens, and hibernation begins in October and extends through entire winter. During this period, the Grayfooted Chipmunk is assumed to depend on cached food, because fat reserves gained before hibernation are small. When alarmed,it vocalizes with high-pitched trills, that sound similar to alarm call of the Gray-collared Chipmunk (7. cinereicollis) or the Colorado Chipmunk (7. quadrivittatus).
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Grayfooted Chipmunk can be locally abundant; current population trend is stable. There are currently no major threats overall, but its distribution is restricted, and small populations are vulnerable to large fires. Lack of information about its biology may negatively impact conservation efforts associated with the Gray-footed Chipmunk.
Bibliography. Best et al. (1992), Cameron & Scheel (2001), Howell (1929), Linzey & NatureServe (Clausen & Hammerson) (2008b), Piaggio & Spicer (2001), Thorington et al. (2012), Wampler et al. (2008).
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.
