Distribution of Some Nebraskan MammalsJones, J. Knox
Science
Distribution of Some Nebraskan Mammals
Jones, J. Knox
Mammals -- Nebraska
=Neotoma floridana campestris= J. A. Allen. FLORIDA WOOD RAT.--Five
wood rats from 5 mi. N, 2 mi. W of Parks, Dundy County, in extreme
southwestern Nebraska, provide the first record of occurrence of this
subspecies in Nebraska. These animals were trapped in outlying sheds at
the Rock Creek State Fish Hatchery. Two large wood-rat houses were in a
dense thicket of brush and young trees in a small draw on the west side
of the most westwardly hatchery lake. Brown rats (_Rattus norvegicus_)
inhabited a combination garage-storage barn at the hatchery and no wood
rats were taken there.
=Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus= (Ord). PENNSYLVANIA MEADOW
MOUSE.--This subspecies occurs in eastern and central Nebraska (see
Bailey, 1900:18 and Swenk, 1908:104). Additional records of occurrence
are as follows: 5 mi. E of Rising City, Butler County, 5; 4 mi. SE of
Laurel, Cedar County, 1; Wayne, 2, and 2-1/2 mi. E of Wayne, 1, Wayne
County; 2-1/2 mi. N of Ord, Valley County, 4.
=Synaptomys cooperi gossii= (Coues). COOPER LEMMING MOUSE.--Fichter and
Hanson (1947:1-8) reported the first known occurrence of this microtine
in Nebraska, recording specimens from several localities in Lancaster
County and one from near Valentine, Cherry County. Recent records of
this mouse which help to clarify its distribution in Nebraska are as
follows: 4 mi. N, 1/2 mi. E of Octavia, Butler County, 1; 5 mi. N, 2
mi. W of Parks, Dundy County, 1; 1 mi. N of Pleasant Dale, Seward
County, 1.
An adult female from Dundy County provides the westernmost record of
distribution of the species in North America. The animal was trapped on
November 1, 1952, in association with _Microtus pennsylvanicus
modestus_ in a marshy area at the Rock Creek State Fish Hatchery on
spring-fed Rock Creek. The pelage on the back is notably darker than in
_S. c. gossii_, and resembles _S. c. paludis_ from the Cimarron River
drainage in Meade County, Kansas, but in the sum total of its
characters it most closely resembles _S. c. gossii_ among named
subspecies.
=Mustela rixosa campestris= Jackson. LEAST WEASEL.--The least weasel
occurs in eastern and central Nebraska (see Swenk, 1926:313-330 and
Hall, 1951:192) but is known by only a single specimen from each
locality of record save for the area around Inland, Clay County (Swenk,
_op. cit._). Additional records of the distribution of this mustelid in
Nebraska are: Hastings, Adams County, 1 (HM); Schuyler, Colfax County,
1 (NGFPC); Goehner, Seward County, 1 (NSM); 10 mi. S of Ord, Valley
County, 1 (NGFPC). The last mentioned specimen, a skull only, was
obtained from a pellet of an unidentified raptorial bird.
LITERATURE CITED
BAILEY, V.
1900. Revision of American voles of the genus Microtus. N. Amer.
Fauna, 17:1-88, June 6.
BAIRD, S. F.
1858. Explorations and surveys for a railroad route from the
Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. War Department.
8 (Mammals, Part 1): xxxii + 757, July 14.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account