Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily GeomyinaeRussell, Robert J.
Science
Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily Geomyinae
Russell, Robert J.
Pocket gophers
Recently, White and Downs (1961:8) described a new Irvingtonian
species, _Geomys garbanii_, from the middle Pleistocene Vallecito
Creek local fauna of San Diego County, California. Many well preserved
fossils of the new species were recovered. _Geomys garbanii_ is of
medium size (approximately the size of one of the larger subspecies of
_G. bursarius_), and significantly larger than the Irvingtonian
_Geomys tobinensis_ of the Great Plains. The Vallecito Creek
occurrence of _Geomys_ is the first authenticated record from the
Pacific Coast region. Matthew (1902:320) erroneously referred remains
of _Thomomys_ to the genus _Geomys_ in his revised list of Cope's
earlier report on the Fossil Lake (or Silver Lake) fauna (see
discussion of _Thomomys_ above).
A number of Irvingtonian fossil remains of _Geomys_ have not been
identified with particular species. Hibbard (1941a:206) found _Geomys_
in the Borchers local fauna (deposited in the time of the Yarmouthian
interglacial) of Meade County, Kansas. Also, _Geomys_ has been
reported from several sites in Nebraska. Schultz and Tanner (1957:67)
reported _Geomys_ from the Angus fossil quarry in Nuckolls County,
south-central Nebraska. The Angus fossils were found in sediments
of the Sappa Formation considered by Schultz and Tanner to be a
Yarmouthian deposit. Fossil quarries (Hay Springs, Rushville, and
Gordon) along the south side of the Niobrara River Valley in Sheridan
County, Nebraska, have also provided records of geomyids. Both a large
and small species of _Geomys_ have been reported from the more
recently excavated Rushville and Gordon sites (Schultz and Stout,
1948:562-567, and table 3). In view of the great disparity in size
owing to sex, these may actually be males and females of the same
species, as mentioned above. The name Hay Springs has been used in
reference to all three sites. The ages of the Hay Springs sites are
approximately the same, but their correlation is presently under
debate. Schultz and Tanner (1957:68-71) maintain that the fossils are
distinctly middle Pleistocene, and that they were deposited during
late Kansan glaciation, or perhaps from early Yarmouthian into early
Illinoian, with the largest concentration coming from the Sappa sands
of pre-Illinoian (Yarmouth) age. Hibbard (1958:25), basing his opinion
on the presence of _Microtus pennsylvanicus_, and the stage of
evolution of other species in the assemblage, regards the Hay Springs
sites as probably Illinoian deposits, but certainly no older than
that.
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