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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME 1
1946-1950
EDITORS
E. RAYMOND HALL
DONALD S. FARNER
DONALD F. HOFFMEISTER
H. H. LANE
A. BYRON LEONARD
EDWARD H. TAYLOR
ROBERT W. WILSON
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
1950
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
PRINTED BY
FERD VOILAND, JR., STATE PRINTER
TOPEKA, KANSAS
1950
23-2413
CONTENTS
1. The pocket gophers (genus Thomomys) of Utah. By Stephen
D. Durrant. Pp. 1-82, 1 figure in text. August 15, 1946.
2. The systematic status of Eumeces pluvialis Cope, and
noteworthy records of other amphibians and reptiles from
Kansas and Oklahoma. By Hobart M. Smith. Pp. 85-89. August
15, 1946.
3. The tadpoles of Bufo cognatus Say. By Hobart M. Smith.
Pp. 93-96, 1 figure in text. August 15, 1946.
4. Hybridization between two species of garter snakes. By
Hobart M. Smith. Pp. 97-100. August 15, 1946.
5. Selected records of reptiles and amphibians from Kansas.
By John Breukelman and Hobart M. Smith. Pp. 101-112. August
15, 1946.
6. Kyphosis and other variations in soft-shelled turtles. By
Hobart M. Smith. Pp. 117-124, 3 figures. July 7, 1947.
7. Natural history of the prairie vole (Mammalian genus
Microtus). By E. W. Jameson, Jr. Pp. 125-151, 4 figures in
text. October 6, 1947.
8. The postnatal development of two broods of great horned
owls (Bubo virginianus). By Donald F. Hoffmeister and Henry
W. Setzer. Pp. 157-173, 5 figures in text. October 6, 1947.
9. Additions to the list of the birds of Louisiana. By
George H. Lowery, Jr. Pp. 177-192. November 7, 1947.
10. A check-list of the birds of Idaho. By M. Dale Arvey.
Pp. 193-216. November 29, 1947.
11. Subspeciation in pocket gophers of Kansas. By Bernardo
Villa R. and E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 217-236, 2 figures in
text. November 29, 1947.
12. A new bat (Genus Myotis) from Mexico. By Walter W.
Dalquest and E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 237-244, 6 figures in
text. December 10, 1947.
13. Tadarida femorosacca (Merriam) in Tamaulipas, Mexico. By
Walter W. Dalquest and E. Raymond Hall. Pp. 245-248, 1
figure in text. December 10, 1947.
14. A new pocket gopher (Thomomys) and a new spiny pocket
mouse (Liomys) from Michoacan, Mexico. By E. Raymond Hall
and Bernardo Villa-R. Pp. 249-256, 6 figures in text. July
26, 1948.
15. A new hylid frog from eastern Mexico. By Edward H.
Taylor. Pp. 257-264, 1 figure in text. August 16, 1948.
16. A new extinct emydid turtle from the Lower Pliocene of
Oklahoma. By Edwin C. Galbreath. Pp. 265-280, 1 plate.
August 16, 1948.
17. Pliocene and Pleistocene records of fossil turtles from
western Kansas and Oklahoma. By Edwin C. Galbreath. Pp.
281-284, 1 figure in text. August 16, 1948.
18. A new species of heteromyid rodent from the Middle
Oligocene of northeast Colorado with remarks on the skull.
By Edwin C. Galbreath. Pp. 285-300, 2 plates. August 16,
1948.
19. Speciation in the Brazilian spiny rats (Genus
Proechimys, Family Echimyidae). By Joao Moojen. Pp. 301-406,
140 figures in text. December 10, 1948.
20. Three new beavers from Utah. By Stephen D. Durrant and
Harold S. Crane. Pp. 407-417, 7 figures in text. December
24, 1948.
21. Two new meadow mice from Michoacan, Mexico. By E.
Raymond Hall. Pp. 423-427, 6 figures in text. December 24,
1948.
22. An annotated check list of the mammals of Michoacan,
Mexico. By E. Raymond Hall and Bernardo Villa-R. Pp.
431-472, 2 plates, 1 figure in text. December 27, 1949.
23. Subspeciation in the kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ordii. By
Henry W. Setzer. Pp. 423-573, 27 figures in text, 7 tables.
December 27, 1949.
24. Geographic range of hooded skunk, Mephitis macroura,
with description of a new subspecies from Mexico. By E.
Raymond Hall and Walter W. Dalquest. Pp. 575-580, 1 figure
in text. January 20, 1950.
25. Pipistrellus cinnamomeus Miller 1902 referred to the
genus Myotis. By E. Raymond Hall and Walter W. Dalquest. Pp.
581-590, 5 figures in text. January 20, 1950.
26. A synopsis of the American bats of the genus
Pipistrellus. By E. Raymond Hall and Walter W. Dalquest. Pp.
591-602, 1 figure in text. January 20, 1950.
Index pp. 605-638.
The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys)
of Utah
BY
STEPHEN D. DURRANT
University of Kansas Publications
Museum of Natural History
Volume 1, No. 1, pp. 1-82, 1 figure in text
August 15, 1946
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
LAWRENCE
1946
The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys)
of Utah
BY
STEPHEN D. DURRANT
University of Kansas Publications
Museum of Natural History
Volume 1, No. 1, pp. 1-82, 1 figure in text
August 15, 1946
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
LAWRENCE
1946
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Donald S. Farner,
Donald F. Hoffmeister
Volume 1, No. 1, pp. 1-82, 1 figure in text.
Published AUGUST 15, 1946
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Lawrence, Kansas
PRINTED BY
FERD VOILAND, JR., STATE PRINTER
TOPEKA, KANSAS
1946
21-2786
The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah
By
STEPHEN D. DURRANT
Contribution from the Department of Biology, University of Utah,
and the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas.
INTRODUCTION
The history of pocket gophers of Utah begins with J. A. Allen's mention
in 1874 of mounds of these animals. For them he employed the name
"_Thomomys rufescens?_" (1874:65). Actual specimens were reported upon
a year later by Elliot Coues (1875:251, 256), who used the name
_Thomomys talpoides_ for specimens from "Utah" but later in the same
paper listed specimens from Provo as _Thomomys talpoides bulbivorus_.
Even as the great variation in Utah pocket gophers has been perplexing
to modern workers, so it was also to Coues seventy years ago who left
the problem with the statement that animals from Provo "exhibit among
themselves such variations that their labelling becomes a matter of
indifference"! In the same year in another report, Coues and Yarrow
(1875:112) used the name _Thomomys talpoides umbrinus_ for animals from
Provo. In 1877, Coues again referred these same animals to _Thomomys
talpoides bulbivorus_, using the name _umbrinus_ for the animals of
only southern Utah (Coues, 1877:627, 628). The two names _Thomomys
bottae_ and _Thomomys talpoides_, now applicable to gophers in Utah,
were synonomized under the name _Thomomys talpoides bulbivorus_ by
Coues (1875:256; 1877:627). After this beginning only three other
papers, all by J. A. Allen, appeared in the next twenty years. They
were reports on collections of mammals made by Walter W. Granger and
Charles P. Rowley. One of these contained the description of _Thomomys
aureus_. Likewise, in the ensuing twenty years there were only three
papers, one in 1901 by C. Hart Merriam in which he described _Thomomys
uinta_, one by Allen (1905:119), and Vernon Bailey's (1915) "Revision
of the pocket gophers of the genus _Thomomys_" in which he summarized
the information then available on these animals within the state.
Barnes (1922 and 1927) reprinted the information summarized by Bailey.
Since 1927 approximately twenty-five papers, mostly taxonomic, have
been published in which reference is made to Utah gophers, and
especially since 1930 much information has been accumulated about the
distribution and speciation of this genus within the state.
Specimens to the number of 1,045 have been available for this study.
Whereas Bailey (_loc. cit._) listed only four kinds belonging to four
different species, thirty-five kinds are now known from Utah. Seven of
these are herein described as new. The thirty-five kinds are found to
belong to only two instead of four full species.
Inasmuch as the literature is scattered and since names have been
applied in different ways at different times, I have attempted to give
a synonomy as complete as possible for each form found within the
state.
The bibliographies of Hayward (1936 and 1941) and Miller's (1924) "List
of North American mammals" have been of great use.
Capitalized color terms in the accounts are after Ridgway, Color
Standards and Color Nomenclature, Washington, D. C., 1912.
In the lists of specimens examined, the localities are listed by
counties from west to east, beginning at the northwestern corner of the
state, and within each county from north to south. When two localities
are on the same latitude, the westernmost is listed first.
I am deeply indebted to Professor R. V. Chamberlin, of the
University of Utah, for encouragement and support in my
investigation. I also acknowledge critical assistance in the
preparation of this paper from Professor E. Raymond Hall of
the University of Kansas. For the loan of specimens I am
grateful to the following: Clinton G. Abbott and Lawrence M.
Huey, Natural History Museum of San Diego, San Diego,
California; Harold E. Anthony and J. Eric Hill, American
Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York; Seth B.
Benson, Museum of Vertebrate Zooelogy, University of
California, Berkeley, California; William H. Burt, Museum of
Zooelogy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; J.
Kenneth Doutt, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
Ross Hardy, Dixie Junior College, St. George, Utah; C. Lynn
Hayward and Vasco M. Tanner, Brigham Young University,
Provo, Utah; H. H. T. Jackson and Viola S. Schantz, United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. National Museum,
Washington, D. C.; Remington Kellogg and Alexander Wetmore,
U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C.; J. S. Stanford,
Utah State Agricultural College, Logan, Utah.
Unless otherwise indicated, specimens are in the Museum of
Zooelogy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. In lists
of specimens examined, abbreviations are employed as
follows:
(A. M. N. H.) American Museum of Natural History.
(N. H. M. S. D.) Natural History Museum of San Diego.
(M. V. Z.) Museum of Vertebrate Zooelogy, University of California.
(U. M.) Museum of Zooelogy, University of Michigan.
(C. M.) Carnegie Museum.
(R. H.) Collection of Ross Hardy.
(B. Y. U.) Brigham Young University.
(U. S. N. M.) United States National Museum.
(U. S. A. C.) Utah State Agricultural College.
(K. U.) Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas.
[Illustration: FIG. 1. Map showing the distribution of species and
subspecies of pocket gophers in Utah.]
Guide to subspecies:
1. _T. t. gracilis_
2. _T. t. wasatchensis_
3. _T. t. oquirrhensis_
4. _T. t. uinta_
5. _T. t. pygmaeus_
6. _T. t. ravus_
7. _T. t. ocius_
8. _T. t. moorei_
9. _T. t. fossor_
10. _T. t. parowanensis_
11. _T. t. levis_
12. _T. b. aureiventris_
13. _T. b. robustus_
14. _T. b. minimus_
15. _T. b. nesophilus_
16. _T. b. stansburyi_
17. _T. b. albicaudatus_
18. _T. b. bonnevillei_
19. _T. b. centralis_
20. _T. b. sevieri_
21. _T. b. convexus_
22. _T. b. tivius_
23. _T. b. contractus_
24. _T. b. lenis_
25. _T. b. levidensis_
26. _T. b. osgoodi_
27. _T. b. howelli_
28. _T. b. wahwahensis_
29. _T. b. dissimilis_
30. _T. b. aureus_
31. _T. b. birdseyei_
32. _T. b. virgineus_
33. _T. b. planirostris_
34. _T. b. absonus_
35. _T. b. alexandrae_
GENUS =Thomomys= Wied
All pocket gophers of Utah belong to the genus _Thomomys_. There are
only two species within the state, _Thomomys bottae_ with twenty-four
subspecies and _Thomomys talpoides_ with eleven subspecies.
Due to marked mutational capacities and ready response to environmental
pressures and sedentary habits, pocket gophers differentiate readily
into numerous subspecies. It is well known that Utah by its highly
varied topography and climate possesses widely different types of
habitats. The aforementioned plasticity of these animals and possibly
the fact that both species are at the extreme limits of their ranges in
Utah account for the numerous forms found within the state.
The genus may be characterized as follows: Highly specialized fossorial
rodents, with heavy, thick bodies; all four legs of approximately equal
length, but front legs more muscular for digging, and feet provided
with long claws; external fur-lined cheek pouches; small eyes, short
ears and tail; upper incisors long and projecting external to lips.
Skull: Stout and flattened; zygomatic arches well developed and usually
widely spreading; all teeth with permanent pulp cavities; incisors
superficially smooth, but fine median groove present on anterior face
of each upper incisor; dental formula, i. 1/1, c. 0/0, p. 1/1, m. 3/3;
external auditory canal long; stapedial artery small and enclosed
within an osseous canal.
=Thomomys talpoides= (Richardson)
_Thomomys talpoides_ is a northern species that in Utah approaches the
southern limits of its range. The animals of this species inhabit the
mountains and high valleys. In the southward extension of their range,
as in Utah, they are found at higher elevations which zonally represent
lower elevations at more northern latitudes. The specific characters
are: Sphenorbital fissure absent; incisive foramina anterior to
infraorbital canal; anterior prism of P4 triangular; interparietal
relatively large; lambdoidal suture concave posteriorly in region of
interparietal, in Utah specimens.
=Thomomys talpoides gracilis= Durrant
_Thomomys quadratus gracilis_ Durrant, Bull. Univ. Utah, 39
(No. 6):3, February 28, 1939.
_Thomomys talpoides gracilis_ Durrant, Bull. Univ. Utah, 30
(No. 5):6, August 24, 1939; Goldman, Journ. Mamm., 25:414,
December 12, 1944.
_Thomomys quadratus fisheri_ Hall, Univ. California Publ.
Zooel., 37:4, April 10, 1931.
_Thomomys uinta_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 39:114, November
15, 1915; Barnes, Bull. Univ. Utah, 12 (No. 15):83, April,
1922; Bull. Univ. Utah, 17 (No. 12):104, June, 1927.
_Type._--Male adult, skin and skull; No. 44866, Museum of Vertebrate
Zooelogy, University of California; Pine Canyon, 6,600 ft., 17 mi. NW
Kelton, Box Elder County, Utah; July 12, 1930; collected by Annie M.
Alexander; original number 676.
_Range._--Mountainous regions of extreme northwestern Utah.
_Diagnosis._--Size medium (see measurements). Color: Upper parts
Buckthorn Brown grading over the sides and flanks to Light Buff on the
underparts; chin white; nose and postauricular patches grayish black.
Claws on front feet long and slender. Skull: Long and slender; rostrum
long and narrow; zygomatic and mastoidal breadths slight; palatal pits
deep; upper incisors narrow; basioccipital wide.
_Comparisons._--Compared with topotypes of _Thomomys talpoides
fisheri_, _gracilis_ is of approximately the same size. Upper parts
darker and underparts lighter; postauricular patches larger and darker;
claws on front feet longer and slenderer. Skull: Generally longer and
narrower; nasals and rostrum longer; basioccipital wider.
As compared with _T. t. uinta_, _gracilis_ is of approximately the same
size but differs as follows: Color: Lighter throughout; postauricular
patches markedly smaller and lighter; inguinal and pectoral regions
much lighter. One characteristic difference is in the ear. In _uinta_
the external opening of the ear is much larger; the pinna of the ear is
larger, more rounded at the tip, and lacks most of the pigmentation on
the inner margin. Skull: Generally narrower and longer; nasals longer;
zygomatic arches weaker and less angular; upper incisors narrower.
This form is easily distinguished from _bridgeri_ by smaller size, and
by the skull being longer, narrower and less angular.
From _Thomomys talpoides oquirrhensis_ to the southeast, _T. t.
gracilis_ can be distinguished by: Total length and ear shorter. Color:
Generally lighter, except the underparts which are about the same;
postauricular patches larger and more deeply pigmented. Skull:
Braincase less inflated; nasals truncated posteriorly as opposed to
rounded; zygomatic and mastoidal breadths less; rostrum shorter but
narrower; upper incisors narrower and shorter.
For comparisons with _wasatchensis_ see comparisons under that form.
In general, this mountain form can be distinguished from all other
_talpoides_ in Utah by lighter color, narrow, slender, "graceful" skull
whence the name _gracilis_ is derived.
_Remarks._--In Utah, _gracilis_ is limited to the extreme northwestern
corner of the state. This part of the state is in the Snake River
drainage. The main part of the range of this race lies in south-central
and southwestern Idaho and northeastern Nevada. The center of its range
might be considered to be in the Jarbidge Mountains area of Nevada. The
south slopes of these mountains are in the Humboldt River drainage,
while the north slopes are in the Snake River drainage, and this
subspecies occurs as far north as the Snake River and south and west
almost to central Nevada. No specimens are available from the area in
Utah between the Raft River Mountains inhabited by _gracilis_ and the
Wasatch Mountains in central Utah inhabited by _wasatchensis_. Judging
from the nature of the terrain, the range of _gracilis_ does not extend
eastward much beyond the Raft River Mountains. The type locality for a
gopher of a different species, _Thomomys bottae aureiventris_, is in
the first valley east of these mountains. Furthermore, all valleys to
the east and south, as far as known, are inhabited by gophers of the
_bottae_ group. Also, all mountain ranges in this area, as far east as
the Wasatch Mountains are inhabited by members of the _bottae_ group.
No specimens from Utah indicate intergradation between _gracilis_ and
_wasatchensis_, the form to the east, but specimens from farther north
at Albion, Cassia County, Idaho, do show intergradation. Bailey
(1915:116), Hall (1931:4), and Durrant (1939:6) have reported on these
specimens which at the present time seem best referred to _T. t.
gracilis_.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 24, distributed as follows:
_Box Elder County_: Yost, 4 (U. S. A. C.); Pine Canyon,
6,600 ft., 17 mi. NW Kelton, 7 (M. V. Z.): Lynn Canyon, Raft
River, 4; Park Valley, 3 (U. S. A. C.); Etna, 4 (U. S. A.
C.); Raft River Mountains, Clear Creek Camp of Minnedoka
National Forest, 1 (R. H.); Raft River Mountains, 1,500 feet
above Clear Creek Camp of Minnedoka National Forest, 1 (R. H.).
=Thomomys talpoides wasatchensis= new subspecies
_Thomomys quadratus uinta_ Hall, Univ. California Publ.
Zooel., 37:4, April 10, 1931.
_Thomomys talpoides uinta_ Goldman, Journ. Mamm., 20:234.
May 14, 1939.
_Thomomys uinta_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 39:114, November
15, 1915; Barnes, Bull. Univ. Utah, 12 (No. 15):83, April,
1922; Bull. Univ. Utah, 17 (No. 12):104, June, 1927;
Stanford, Journ. Mamm., 12:360, November 11, 1931.
_Type._--Male, adult, skin and skull, No. 1604, Museum of Zooelogy,
University of Utah; Midway, 5,500 ft., Wasatch County, Utah; September
1, 1936; collected by S. D. Durrant; original number 1049.
_Range._--Wasatch Mountains and neighboring high valleys as far south
as Spanish Fork Canyon, Utah County.
_Diagnosis._--Size medium (see measurements). Color: Upper parts Snuff
Brown, finely mixed with black; sides and flanks Sayal Brown;
underparts overlaid with Cinnamon Buff, with suffusion of black on
underfur; postauricular patches black, extending around ear; ears
pointed and covered with black hairs; nose, cheeks, chin and top of
head dusky; front feet, hind feet and distal part of tail white; tail
covered proximally with light brown hairs. Skull: Moderately heavy and
ridged; nasals long, wide posteriorly and not markedly dilated
distally; posterior ends of nasals emarginate; zygomatic arches fairly
widely spreading and angular, being nearly straight in adults, but
tending to bow out slightly at posterior ends in young; zygomatic
processes of maxillae heavy; interparietal small and variously shaped,
but always wider than long; interorbital region fairly wide; well
marked dorsal depression in frontals posterior to ends of nasals;
interpterygoid space narrowly V-shaped; tympanic bullae large;
occipital condyles large and widely separated; foramen magnum large and
higher than wide; basioccipital wide; dentition light.
_Comparisons._--From topotypes of _Thomomys talpoides moorei_,
_wasatchensis_ differs as follows: Size slightly larger; ears longer
and more pointed. Color: Generally darker throughout; postauricular
patches smaller. Skull: Zygomatic arches not as widely spreading;
zygomatic processes of squamosals dip farther ventrally; premaxillae
less extended posterior to nasals; nasals wider posteriorly and less
dilated distally; median dorsal depression of frontals present;
tympanic bullae generally larger, but less inflated ventrally; foramen
magnum larger especially in dorsoventral dimension; occipital condyles
farther apart; basioccipital wider; alveolar length of upper molar
series less; molariform teeth smaller; upper incisors wider and
shorter.
Topotypes of _wasatchensis_ differ from topotypes and near topotypes of
_Thomomys talpoides uinta_ as follows: Size larger in every measurement
taken. Color: Darker throughout; ears longer and more pigmented;
opening of external ear smaller; postauricular patches larger. Skull:
In females larger throughout, more massive and angular; nasals longer,
wider and not so dilated distally; rostrum longer but wider; zygomatic
arches wider, more angular and less widely spreading posteriorly;
extension of premaxillae posterior to nasals less; tympanic bullae
larger, but less inflated ventrally; foramen magnum larger and more
ovoid; width across occipital condyles greater; basioccipital wider;
molariform teeth smaller; upper incisors shorter and wider.
Topotypes of _wasatchensis_ can be distinguished from those of
_Thomomys talpoides oquirrhensis_ as follows: Size larger; tail longer;
ears longer. Color: Slightly darker on sides and underparts. Skull:
Heavier, more ridged and angular; nasals more dilated distally;
posterior ends of nasals more deeply emarginate; zygomatic arches
heavier and more widely spreading, but more nearly parallel and less
divergent posteriorly; zygomatic processes of maxillae much heavier;
braincase and tympanic bullae larger; pterygoid hamulae shorter;
interpterygoid space more narrowly V-shaped; wider across occipital
condyles; foramen magnum larger and more ovoid.
From topotypes of _Thomomys talpoides gracilis_, _wasatchensis_ differs
as follows: Size larger; hind foot longer; ears longer and more
pointed. Color: Darker throughout; postauricular patches relatively
smaller. Skull: Larger, heavier and more angular; nasals emarginate
posteriorly as opposed to truncate; rostrum heavier; zygomatic arches
heavier and more widely spreading; zygomatic processes of maxillae much
heavier and more angular; mastoid breadth greater; interparietal
relatively smaller; extension of premaxillae posterior to nasals
actually as well as relatively less; palatal pits deeper; tympanic
bullae larger; interpterygoid space more narrowly V-shaped; foramen
magnum more ovoid; upper incisors wider.
Topotypes of _wasatchensis_ can be readily distinguished from those of
_Thomomys talpoides levis_ and _parowanensis_ by larger size; more
massive, ridged, angular skulls; larger tympanic bullae; large, ovoid
foramen magnum; and relatively smaller interparietal.
_Remarks._--Specimens from Mount Timpanogos and environs are
intergrades between _moorei_ and _wasatchensis_. They resemble _moorei_
in the shape and size of the tympanic bullae, and are intermediate in
the size and shape of the foramen magnum. In the majority of characters
they resemble _wasatchensis_ to which they are here referred. The
animals from east of Salt Lake City in Salt Lake County are intergrades
between _oquirrhensis_ and _wasatchensis_ and show some characters of
_uinta_, but are referable to _wasatchensis_. Animals from Morgan
County and western Summit County are intergrades between _wasatchensis_
and _uinta_. They resemble _uinta_ in size, shape of nasals and size of
tympanic bullae. The remainder of the cranial details place them with
_wasatchensis_. Morphologically the animals from Wellsville, Cache
County, were the closest to the topotypes of any obtained and are
nearly indistinguishable from them. Like the topotypes of
_wasatchensis_ this population inhabits a high valley. The remaining
specimens from Cache County resemble those from Morgan and Summit
counties.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 119, distributed as follows:
_Cache County_: Logan Canyon, Beaver Basin, Utah-Idaho Line,
2 (U. S. A. C); Logan Canyon, Tony Grove Camp, 6 (U. S. A.
C); Logan Canyon, Green Camp, 3 (U. S. A. C); Logan Canyon,
3 (U. S. A. C); Logan Mountains, 20 mi. E Logan, 3 (U. S. A.
C); Logan Peak area, 13 (U. S. A. C); near Providence Peak,
Logan Mountains, 1 (U. S. A. C.); Wellsville, 10 (U. S. A.
C); Hardware Ranch, Blacksmith Fork, 1 (U. S. A. C); Avon, 1
(U. S. A. C); 1 mi. E Avon, 1 (U. S. A. C); 7-8 mi. E Avon,
1 (U. S. A. C). _Weber County_: South Fork, Ogden River, 18
mi. E Ogden, 4 (M. V. Z.). _Morgan County_: East Canyon, 18
mi. NW Park City, 6,000 ft., 1. _Davis County_: 8 mi. NE
Salt Lake City, 1. _Salt Lake County_: Mouth of Dry Canyon,
1 mi. NE Salt Lake City, 1; 4 mi. above mouth City Creek
Canyon, 5,000 ft., 1; mouth of Emigration Canyon, 1; mouth
of Millcreek Canyon, 1; Lambs Canyon, 13 mi. SE Salt Lake
City, 2 (C. M.); mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, 1. _Summit
County_: Park City, 1 (U. S. N. M.). _Wasatch County_:
Midway, 5,500 ft., 29. _Utah County_: Mt. Timpanogos, 1 mi.
N Aspen Grove, 7,500 ft., 20; Aspen Grove, Mt. Timpanogos, 5
(1, U. S. A. C.; 4, B. Y. U.); Head of Grove Creek, Mt.
Timpanogos, 4 (B. Y. U.).
_Additional Records_: _Weber County_: Ogden, 6. _Salt Lake
County_: Parleys Canyon, 1 (Bailey, 1915:114).
=Thomomys talpoides oquirrhensis= Durrant
_Thomomys talpoides oquirrhensis_ Durrant, Bull. Univ. Utah,
30 (No. 5):3, October 24, 1939.
_Type._--Male, adult, skin and skull; No. 2605, Museum of Zooelogy,
University of Utah; Settlement Creek, Oquirrh Mountains, 6,500 ft.,
Tooele County, Utah; June 11, 1938; collected by S. D. Durrant;
original number 1461.
_Range._--Known only from the Oquirrh Mountains, which are in Salt
Lake, Tooele and Utah counties, Utah.
_Diagnosis._--Size medium (see measurements); ear long; tail short,
claws of front feet long and slender. Color: Upper parts Buckthorn
Brown, mixed with black, grading over the sides and flanks to Pinkish
Buff on the ventral surface; feet white; nose grayish black;
postauricular patches medium in size and black; chin and throat with
varying amounts of white; proximal two-thirds of tail dark brown,
distal third white. Skull: Long and slender, but relatively wide across
mastoidal region; nasals long and rounded posteriorly; rostrum long and
narrow; zygomatic arches weak and not widely spreading, tending to be
slightly bowed out posteriorly, but in the main roughly parallel to the
sides of the skull; outer margin of zygomatic arch slightly concave,
and zygomatic arch dips deeply ventrad; dorsal surface of skull smooth,
with weakly defined parietal crests; parietal crest nearly parallel,
but bowed medially, in parietal region, and flaring widely posteriorly
to pass lateral to interparietal; tympanic bullae large, truncate
anteriorly and markedly inflated ventrally; upper incisors short and
fairly robust.
_Comparisons._--From _Thomomys talpoides uinta_, _oquirrhensis_ may be
differentiated as follows: Color: Darker throughout; postauricular
patches larger and darker; ears longer and more pointed; inner margin
of pinna heavily pigmented; external opening of ear smaller. Skull:
Nasals rounded posteriorly rather than deeply emarginate, and less
flaring distally; zygomatic arches weaker and markedly less widely
spreading; pterygoid hamulae weaker; basisphenoid narrower; upper
incisors shorter and wider.
For comparisons between _oquirrhensis_ and _Thomomys talpoides
gracilis_, and _oquirrhensis_ and _wasatchensis_, see comparisons under
those forms.
Topotypical specimens of _oquirrhensis_ can be distinguished from those
of _Thomomys talpoides moorei_ as follows: Color generally darker, due
to greater admixture of black; terminal bands of hair actually lighter;
postauricular patches larger and darker; ears longer, more pointed and
with more heavily pigmented pinnae; tail shorter. Skull: About the same
size; smoother; zygomatic arches weaker and less widely spreading;
nasals rounded posteriorly as opposed to emarginate; mastoid breadth
less; pterygoid hamulae weaker; upper incisors wider.
_Remarks._--This race is limited to the Oquirrh Mountains, a high
mountain range that lies parallel to, and just west of the Wasatch
Mountains, in Utah, Salt Lake and Tooele counties. These mountains were
connected in past times to the Wasatch Mountains by the Transverse
Range, and by a sand and gravel bar deposited by Pleistocene Lake
Bonneville. The Jordan River in its course from Utah Lake to the Great
Salt Lake has cut a channel through the aforementioned bar. This
channel has been cut to the level of the surrounding valleys as is
indicated by the meandering nature of the stream through this part of
its course. As a result the Oquirrh Mountains are relatively isolated.
Although separated from the Wasatch Mountains by the Jordan River
Valley only a few miles wide, the pocket gophers are distinct on each
mountain. A population of _T. bottae_ is interposed between the two
mountain ranges as is indicated by specimens from Riverton, six miles
north of the Transverse Range. The populations of _bottae_ are
subspecifically the same on the two sides of the Jordan River.
On the east side of the Oquirrh Mountains, pocket gophers collected
from the Jordan Valley up Rose Canyon to about 5,000 feet elevation
were all of the species _T. bottae_. Between 5,000 and 6,000 feet there
is an area in which the ranges of _bottae_ and _talpoides_ overlap.
When trapping, it is possible to predict what species will be taken by
the types of burrows and soil. Gophers of the _bottae_ group have their
burrows in the areas of the deepest soil and heaviest vegetation,
whereas the areas of shallow, rocky soil covered with sparse vegetation
are the habitat of _talpoides_. Above 6,000 feet the only gopher
encountered is _talpoides_. Along Settlement Creek on the west side of
the Oquirrh Mountains, which is the type locality of _oquirrhensis_,
_bottae_ and _talpoides_ have essentially the same vertical
distribution as in Rose Canyon. On this mountain the two species appear
to be in competition.
The available information, based on collections, indicates that the
Oquirrh Mountains are the only mountains west of the Wasatch Range upon
which _talpoides_ occurs. In Utah, all other mountains to the west, as
far as known, are inhabited by subspecies of of _Thomomys bottae_.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 41, as follows: _Tooele
County_: Settlement Creek, Oquirrh Mountains, 6,500 ft., 14.
_Salt Lake County_: Rose Canyon, Oquirrh Mountains, 5,650
ft., 27.
=Thomomys talpoides uinta= Merriam
_Thomomys uinta_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
14:112, July 19, 1901; Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 39:113,
November 15, 1915; Barnes, Bull. Univ. Utah, 12 (No. 15):83,
April, 1922; Bull. Univ. Utah, 17 (No. 12):104, June, 1927;
Stanford, Journ. Mamm., 12:360; November 11, 1931; Goldman,
Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., 28:333, July 15, 1938; Davis,
The Recent mammals of Idaho, pp. 239, 259, The Caxton
Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho, April 5, 1939.
_Thomomys talpoides uinta_ Goldman, Journ. Mamm., 20:234,
May 14, 1939.
_Thomomys quadratus uinta Hall_, Univ. California Publ.
Zooel., 37:4, April 10, 1931.
_Type._--Male, adult, skin and skull, No. 22501/30051, U. S. National
Museum (Biological Surveys Collection); north base Gilbert Peak, Uinta
Mountains, 10,000 ft., Summit County, Utah; June 6, 1890; collected by
Vernon Bailey; original number 1262 (after Merriam, type not seen).
_Range._--Uinta Mountains in Duchesne County, eastern Wasatch and
Summit counties, and western Uintah County south to the Roan, Brown and
Book cliffs in Carbon County.
_Diagnosis._--Size medium (see measurements). Color: Upper parts Snuff
Brown finely mixed with black, paling over sides and flanks to near
Pinkish Buff on underparts; postauricular patches relatively small and
dusky; external opening of ear large; pinnae usually lightly pigmented;
hind feet white; front feet usually white only at base of toes; distal
third to half of tail white; tail usually light below, with proximal
dorsal half covered with darker hairs; nose, chin, cheeks and top of
head dusky; usually considerable white on throat. Skull: Small,
slender, and not heavily ridged; nasals short and dilated distally;
posterior margins of nasals emarginate; zygomatic arches moderately
widely spreading, widest posteriorly; interparietal pentagonal or
subquadrangular; interpterygoid space V-shaped; tympanic bullae well
inflated ventrally; upper incisors long and narrow.
_Comparisons._--For comparisons with other subspecies of _Thomomys
talpoides_, see accounts of those forms.
_Remarks._--The range formerly ascribed to _uinta_ (Bailey, 1915:114;
Barnes, 1922:83, 1927:104) is now known to be inhabited by animals
belonging to three distinct subspecies. The range of _uinta_ as now
understood is restricted to the southern and western parts of the
Uinta Mountains and their environs. Three specimens from the Book
Cliffs, Sunnyside, Carbon County, are not typical, but in a majority of
their characters agree with _uinta_ to which they are here referred.
I have seen only one specimen from the type locality. It is one of the
series on which Merriam (1901:112) based his original description. In
addition, I have studied several large series of near topotypes. From
the material at hand, and from Merriam's description (_loc. cit._), I
regard the animals on which the name _uinta_ was based as intergrades
between _Thomomys talpoides ravus_, the race to the northeast, on the
one hand and the animals of the western and southern parts of the Uinta
Mountains on the other hand. The affinities of the type series are with
the animals from the latter area which are here all referred to
_uinta_.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 41, distributed as follows:
_Summit County_: 2 mi. S junction Bear River and Haydens
Fork, 2 (C. M.); N base, Gilbert Peak, 10,000 ft., 1 (U. S.
N. M.); Smith and Moorehouse Creek, 2; Bald Peak, 25 mi. NE
Kamas, 15 (8, M. V. Z.; 6, C. M.). _Duchesne County_: Petty
Mountain, 15 mi. N Mountain Home, 9,500 ft., 6 (C. M.).
_Wasatch County_: Wolf Creek Pass, 18 mi. NW Hanna, 1 (U. S.
A. C.); Lost Lake, Uinta Mountains, 10 (B. Y. U.); Current
Creek, Uinta Mountains, 1 (U. S. N. M.). _Carbon County_:
Forks, Sunnyside, 9,000 ft., 3.
_Additional records._--_Summit County_: Uinta Mountains, 6
(see Bailey, 1915:114).
=Thomomys talpoides pygmaeus= Merriam
_Thomomys pygmaeus_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
14:115. July 19, 1901.
_Thomomys talpoides pygmaeus_ Davis, The Recent mammals of
Idaho, p. 252, The Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho,
April 5, 1939.
_Type._--Male, adult, skin and skull, No. 55251, U. S. National Museum
(Biological Surveys Collection); 10 mi. NE Montpelier, in open
sagebrush of Transition Zone, 6,600 ft., Bear County, Idaho; July 29,
1893; collected by Vernon Bailey: original number 4150 (after Merriam,
type not seen: see, also, Bailey, 1915:109).
_Range._--Limited to Daggett County.
_Diagnosis._--Size: Small (see measurements). Color: Upper parts near
Bister slightly mixed with black, grading over sides and flanks to
Ochraceous Buff on underparts; postauricular patches small and dusky;
hind feet white; front feet dusky, being white only at base of claws;
chin and nose dusky; tail brown, lighter below and tipped with white.
Skull: Very small, slender and smooth; nasals short and slender;
zygomatic arches weak and not widely spreading; rostrum narrow;
extension of premaxillae posterior to nasals short; parietal ridges
hardly noticeable; interparietal large; extension of supraoccipital
posterior to lambdoidal suture long; tympanic bullae actually small,
but relatively large; basioccipital narrow; interpterygoid space narrow
and acutely angled; upper incisors markedly recurved; molariform teeth
relatively large.
_Comparisons._--This small pocket gopher can be distinguished from all
other members of _Thomomys talpoides_ occurring in Utah by remarkably
small size, and slender, weak, small skull with strongly recurved upper
incisors.
_Remarks._--The specimens used in this study were those recorded by
Svihla (1931:261). She reports that they were obtained in the
flood-plain banks of the streamsides, and preferred the pine belt. This
shows probably an extension of range with reference to life zones, as
heretofore the main reported localities of capture have been in
sagebrush in the Transition Life-zone.
Insofar as I am aware, Mrs. Svihla's specimens are the only ones of
this subspecies ever obtained in Utah. Additional work is necessary in
southwestern Wyoming to outline accurately the geographic distribution
of this subspecies. In comparison with topotypes, the specimens from
Utah are lighter in color and some specimens have slightly larger
skulls, suggesting slight intergradation with _Thomomys talpoides
uinta_.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 18 (all in Museum of Zooelogy,
University of Michigan), distributed as follows: _Daggett
County_: Sheep Creek, 4; 1 mi. W Summit Springs, 4; Beaver
Creek, 22 mi. S Manila, 9; Granite Park, 24 mi. S Manila, 1.
=Thomomys talpoides ravus= new subspecies
_Type._--Male, adult, skin and skull, No. 13690, Carnegie Museum;
Vernal-Manila Highway, 19 mi. N Vernal, 8,000 ft., Uintah County, Utah;
August 22, 1937; collected by J. K. and M. T. Doutt; original number
4718.
_Range._--Uinta Mountains in Daggett, northern Uintah and northern
Summit counties.
_Diagnosis._--Size large (see measurements); ears relatively narrow;
hind foot relatively small. Color: Upper parts between Drab and Light
Drab, darkest along middorsal line due to mixture of hairs tipped with
light brown; sides and flanks Light Drab; entire underparts creamy
white; front and hind feet, ventral surface of tail and end of tail
white; proximal two-thirds of tail covered dorsally with light brown
hairs; nose and cheeks dusky; postauricular patches black. Skull:
Large, heavy and ridged; rostrum long and narrow; nasals long,
moderately dilated distally and with a distal hump; posterior ends of
nasals emarginate; parietal and lambdoidal crests well developed;
zygomatic arches moderately heavy and widely spreading, widest
posteriorly; zygomatic processes of maxillae moderately heavy and
flaring abruptly from base of rostrum; marked middorsal depression in
frontals present; interparietal pentagonal; extension of premaxillae
posterior to nasals long; posterior tongues of premaxillae long,
slender and rounded proximally; braincase high, vaulted and relatively
narrow; tympanic bullae well inflated ventrally, and ridged in old
animals; pterygoid hamulae long; interpterygoid space narrowly
V-shaped; upper incisors long and narrow; molariform teeth medium.
_Comparisons._--Compared with topotypes of _Thomomys talpoides
bridgeri_, _ravus_ differs as follows: Size larger; hind foot smaller;
ears narrower. Color: Lighter throughout, grayish as opposed to brown.
Skull: Smaller, narrower, less angular and less massive; nasals,
rostrum, zygomatic processes of maxillae, ascending branches of
premaxillae and posterior tongues of premaxillae all narrower;
extension of premaxillae posterior to nasals longer; interparietal
wider; braincase higher and narrower; tympanic bullae approximately the
same size, but more inflated ventrally; interpterygoid space more
narrowly V-shaped; upper incisors narrower; molariform teeth weaker.
Compared with topotypes and near topotypes of _Thomomys talpoides
uinta_, _ravus_ differs as follows: Size larger in every measurement
taken. Color: Lighter throughout, being grayish as opposed to brown.
Skull: Larger in every measurement taken; rostrum and nasals actually
as well as relatively longer; extension of premaxillae posterior to
nasals longer; upper incisors longer and wider; molariform teeth
larger.
There is only one other gray subspecies of _Thomomys talpoides_ in
Utah, _Thomomys talpoides ocius_. Topotypes of _ravus_ differ from it
as follows: Size markedly larger in every measurement taken. Color:
Darker, more brown hairs. Skull: Larger in every measurement taken;
premaxillae extended farther posteriorly to nasals; extension of
supraoccipital posterior to lambdoidal suture markedly less; tympanic
bullae actually as well as relatively smaller; upper incisors longer
and more procumbent.
This new subspecies can be readily distinguished from all other
subspecies of _Thomomys talpoides_ occurring in Utah by markedly
greater size and paler, more grayish color.
_Remarks._--The range of this form appears to be limited to the north
slopes of the Uinta Mountains, except in Daggett County where it occurs
also on the south slopes. Intergradation in color and in cranial
details with _bridgeri_ is shown by animals from the East Fork of
Blacks Fork, thirty-one miles SSW Fort Bridger, and by those from
Henrys Fork, 8,300 ft., both in Summit County. Due to the grayish color
and the narrower, weaker skull they are referred to _ravus_.
Intergradation with _uinta_ is shown by specimens from the type
locality of the latter race. The type series of _uinta_ consists of
intergrades between _ravus_ and the animals to the west and south (see
remarks under _uinta_).
It is doubtful whether _bridgeri_ occurs in Utah. Material from Rich
County and extreme northern Cache County would settle the question.
Perhaps _bridgeri_ is restricted to the lower valleys in southwestern
Wyoming. Two specimens from northern Cache County, from Logan Canyon,
Beaver Basin, Utah-Idaho Line appear to be intergrades between
_bridgeri_ and _wasatchensis_, but are referable to the latter race.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 38, distributed as follows:
_Summit County_: Henrys Fork, 8,300 ft., 8; E Fork, Blacks
Fork, 31 mi. SSW Fort Bridger, 4 (C. M.). _Daggett County_:
Vernal-Manila Road, 4 mi. W Green's Lake, 7,500 ft., 6 (C.
M.); Elk Park, Uinta Mountains, 5 (B. Y. U.). _Uintah
County_: Trout Creek, SE Trout Peak, 22 mi. NW Vernal, 9,300
ft., 5 (C. M.); Vernal-Manila Highway, 19 mi. N Vernal,
8,000 ft., 6 (C. M.); Taylor Peak, 17 mi. N Vernal, 4 (C.
M.).
=Thomomys talpoides ocius= Merriam
_Thomomys clusius ocius_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc.
Washington, 14:114, July 19, 1901.
_Thomomys clusius_ Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.,
13:246, November 25, 1896.
_Thomomys ocius_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 39:107, November
15, 1915; Barnes, Bull. Univ. Utah, 12 (No. 15):83, April,
1922; Bull. Univ. Utah, 17 (No. 12):102, June, 1927.
_Type._--Male, adult, skin and skull, No. 18852/25586, U. S. National
Museum (Biological Surveys Collection); dry sagebrush mesas at Harveys
Ranch, Smiths Fork, 6 mi. SW Fort Bridger, 6,657 ft., Uinta County,
Wyoming; May 24, 1890; collected by Vernon Bailey; original number 1194
(after Bailey, type not seen).
_Diagnosis._--Size small (see measurements). Color: Upper parts Tilleul
Buff overlaid with Avellaneous, grading over sides and flanks to nearly
white on underparts; underparts with faint wash of creamy white;
postauricular patches small and dusky and completely circling the ear;
nose and cheeks dusky; front feet, hind feet, throat, ventral surface
of tail and distal half of tail white. Skull: Small, slender but
compact; nasals rounded posteriorly; extension of premaxillae posterior
to nasals very short; zygomatic arches robust, but not widely
spreading, widest posteriorly; interparietal large and pentagonal in
shape; extension of supraoccipital posterior to lambdoidal suture long;
tympanic bullae actually as well as relatively large; basioccipital
narrow; pterygoid hamulae long and ridged; upper incisors short and
strongly recurved.
_Comparisons._--Compared with one topotype and seven near topotypes of
_Thomomys talpoides pygmaeus_, _ocius_ differs as follows: Size larger
in every measurement taken. Color: Lighter throughout, grayish as
opposed to brown; distal half of tail white as opposed to only a few
white hairs at tip of tail. Skull: Larger in every measurement taken;
skull more compact; zygomatic arches heavier and more widely spreading
posteriorly; tympanic bullae larger; upper incisors larger, but equally
strongly recurved; molariform teeth larger.
Topotypes of ocius can be distinguished from those of _Thomomys
talpoides uinta_ as follows: Color: Lighter throughout, grayish as
opposed to brown. Skull: Nasals rounded posteriorly as opposed to
emarginate; zygomatic arches more robust; interparietal pentagonal as
opposed to subquadrangular; extension of supraoccipital posterior to
lambdoidal suture markedly greater; tympanic bullae actually as well as
relatively much larger; upper incisors short and strongly recurved as
opposed to long and procumbent.
Specimens of this subspecies can be distinguished from all other
members of the species _Thomomys talpoides_ occurring in Utah by their
grayish color, and by small, compact skulls with very large tympanic
bullae and short strongly recurved upper incisors.
_Remarks._--Two specimens from Vernal, Uintah County, are intergrades
between _ocius_ and _uinta_. They resemble _uinta_ in size and dorsal
color, but are slightly lighter tending toward the color of _ocius_.
Ventrally they are intermediate in color but more like _ocius_. The
skulls are more like those of _ocius_ in general appearance, extension
of supraoccipital posterior to the lambdoidal suture, shape and
thickness of the zygomatic arches, posterior tongues of premaxillae,
size of tympanic bullae and recurved upper incisors. They more closely
resemble _uinta_ in shape of posterior ends of nasals, basioccipital
and shape of the zygomatic processes of the squamosals. In all of the
above mentioned characters, they are intermediate between the two named
forms, but tend towards one or the other as listed. The majority of
characters are more as in _ocius_ to which they are here referred.
When Goldman (1939:233, 234) listed the named subspecies of _Thomomys
talpoides_, he hesitated to include _ocius_ and merely mentioned that
_ocius_, _pygmaeus_ and _idahoensis_ might also belong to _talpoides_.
Davis (1939:240, 241) found intergradation between _idahoensis_ and
_fuscus_ and also between _idahoensis_ and _pygmaeus_, and, therefore,
arranged the last two mentioned forms as subspecies of _talpoides_.
This present study reveals intergradation between _ocius_ and _uinta_,
and also between _ocius_ and _fossor_ (see account of _fossor_).
Therefore, _ocius_ is properly to be treated as a subspecies of the
series of intergrading forms of which _talpoides_ is the earliest
named.
All specimens of _ocius_ known from Utah are from the extreme eastern
part of the northeastern corner of the state. The type locality of
_ocius_ is near Fort Bridger, Wyoming, which is north of Utah. I have
seen one specimen from 12 miles west of Linwood, Daggett County, Utah,
on Henrys Fork in Wyoming. Additional collecting in northern Utah
probably will reveal _ocius_ to inhabit also parts of northern Utah.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 4, distributed as follows:
_Uintah County_: Vernal, 2 (C. M.); Uncompahgre Indian
Reservation, 2 (A. M. N. H.).