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
refer these specimens to species. Nevertheless, the Illinoian _Geomys_
from the Great Plains is more closely allied to the living species of
_Geomys_ than it is to the earlier Irvingtonian species.
_Geomys bursarius_ has been collected from a number of Sangamon fossil
sites on the Great Plains. Although specific identification of
specimens of _Geomys_ from Illinoian faunas is uncertain, the Great
Plains _Geomys_ from Sangamon and later deposits probably is referable
to the living species as Hibbard and Taylor (1960:165) pointed out.
They found no difference between _Geomys_ recovered from the Cragin
Quarry local fauna (early Sangamon) of Meade County, Kansas, and the
living species _Geomys bursarius_. Isolated teeth of the same species
were collected from the Jinglebob local fauna of Meade County, Kansas
(Hibbard, 1955b:206), a fauna of the late Sangamon. Hibbard (1943:240)
also recorded the genus _Geomys_ (referable to _G. bursarius_) from
the Rezabek local fauna of Lincoln County, Kansas. According to
Schultz _et al._ (1951:6 and table 1) the genus _Geomys_ occurs
in buried or "fossil" soils of Sangamon age, lying just above the
Loveland Loess, in Nebraska. No specific localities were given by
them, nor were any particular specimens mentioned. Dalquest reported
_Geomys bursarius_ from two Sangamon faunas in northern Texas. The
species is represented in the Ward Quarry local fauna of Cooke County,
Texas (1962a:42), and the Good Creek local fauna of Foard County,
Texas (1962b:575).
_Geomys bursarius_ has been reported from Wisconsin fossil deposits
of the Great Plains and adjacent areas as follows: Jones local fauna,
Meade County, Kansas (Hibbard and Taylor, 1960:64-66); Two Creeks
Forest beds of the third interstadial soils formed between Cary and
Mankato glaciations, late Wisconsin (Schultz _et al._, 1951:8 and
table 1); Cita Canyon local fauna in the northern part of the
Panhandle of Texas (Johnson and Savage, 1955:39); Howard Ranch local
fauna of Hardeman County in northwestern Texas (Dalquest, 1965:70);
Quitaque local fauna of Motley County, Texas (Dalquest, 1964:501);
Clear Creek local fauna of Denton County in north-central Texas
(Slaughter and Ritchie, 1963:120); Ben Franklin local fauna, of late
Wisconsin beds along the North Sulphur River in Delta County, NE Texas
(Slaughter and Hoover, 1963:137); Bulverde Cave (Hay, 1920:140;
1924:247) and Friesenhahn Cave (Tamsitt, 1957:321), both in Bexar
County, south-central Texas; Alton, Illinois (Hay, 1923:338-339);
Wisconsin drift of Illinois, without mention of specific locality
(Bader and Techter, 1959:172); Wisconsin drift of southwestern
Wisconsin and northeastern Iowa (Hay, _op. cit._:343); Wisconsin drift
near Galena, Illinois, and mouth of Platte River in eastern Nebraska
(Leidy, 1869:406).
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