Comments on the Taxonomy and Geographic Distribution of Some North American RodentsHall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)
Science
Comments on the Taxonomy and Geographic Distribution of Some North American Rodents
Hall, E. Raymond (Eugene Raymond)
Mammals -- North America; Rodents
Our examination of specimens in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology from
1-1/2 mi. W Yocolt (94238 and 94239 MVZ) and from 3-1/2 mi. E and 5 mi.
N Yocolt (94240-94244 MVZ) reveals that the "average" of the coloration
is nearer to that of the paler _T. t. cooperi_ than to that of the
darker _T. t. townsendii_ and indicates why Dalquest, we think
correctly, identified specimens from Yocolt as _T. t. cooperi_. We have
examined also the specimens in the Biological Surveys Collection of the
United States National Museum (catalogue numbers given above) and have
compared them with specimens (comparable in age and seasonal condition
of pelage) of _T. t. townsendii_ (notably a series from Lake Quinalt,
Washington) and of _T. t. cooperi_ (including specimens from Bumping
Lake and Blewett Pass, Washington). In color, the specimens from Mt. St.
Helens are almost exactly intermediate between _T. t. cooperi_ and _T.
t. townsendii_. We choose to use for them the name _T. t. townsendii_ as
did Howell (_op. cit._:109). The specimens from 15 mi. N Carson, those
from Stevenson and the one from Skamania agree in nearly all features of
color with the relatively paler _T. t. cooperi_, as Dalquest (_op.
cit._) thought they would, and we, accordingly, use for them the name
_Tamias townsendii cooperi_.
In view of the findings resulting from our study of the above mentioned
specimens of the Townsend Chipmunk in Washington, it seemed worthwhile
to examine the material of the same species from Hood River, Oregon.
Howell (_op. cit._:109) listed one specimen from there as _E. t.
townsendii_, but (_op. cit.:_ fig. 7, p. 107) mapped the locality as
within the geographic range of _E. t. cooperi_. The specimen (89061 BS)
is a juvenile having external measurements of only 175, 80 and 31.
Although the color is intermediate between that of the two subspecies
concerned, greater resemblance is shown to _T. t. townsendii_. We have
not examined any other specimen of the species _Tamias townsendii_ so
young as No. 89061, but suspect that older specimens from the same place
would be paler by a slight degree. This suspicion, and more especially
the light color of an older specimen from nearby White Salmon,
Washington, and the light color of two older specimens from Parkdale,
Oregon, which seem to us to be referable to _T. t. cooperi_, influence
us to refer the specimen from Hood River to _Tamias townsendii cooperi_
Baird.
~Tamias townsendii townsendii~ Bachman
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