Spermophilus (Spermophilus) pygmaeus (Pallas 1778)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Sciuridae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 754-818 : 810

Spermophilus (Spermophilus) pygmaeus (Pallas 1778)

[Mus] pygmaeus Pallas 1778 , Nova Spec. Quad. Glir. Ord.: 122.

Type Locality: "Maximos et paene dixerim monstrosos Citillós passim ad inferiorum laikum in campis squalidis." Restricted by Ognev (1963 a:102) to "lower reaches of the Ural River" "Indersk [ Kazakhstan]" .

Vernacular Names: Little Ground Squirrel.

Subspecies: :

Subspecies Spermophilus (Spermophilus) pygmaeus subsp. pygmaeus Pallas 1778

Subspecies Spermophilus (Spermophilus) pygmaeus subsp. brauneri Martino 1914

Subspecies Spermophilus (Spermophilus) pygmaeus subsp. herbicolus Martino 1914

Subspecies Spermophilus (Spermophilus) pygmaeus subsp. mugosaricus Lichtenstein 1823

Distribution: SW Ukraine; S Ural Mtns to Crimea ( Russia); Kazakhstan; NW Uzbekistan; Dagestan ( Georgia).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Spermophilus , see Gromov et al. (1965:257) and comment under musicus . Hybridizes rarely with erythrogenys and fulvus , and more frequently with major and suslicus ( Bazhanov 1944; Denisov, 1964); in zone of contact SW of Saratov ( Russia) ( Denisov and Smirnova, 1976; Ermakov, 1996).