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
Cope described the first known fossil geomyids in 1878, and published
an excellent review of the two genera, _Pleurolicus_ and _Entoptycus_,
in 1884 (pp. 855-870, pl. 64, figs. 1-9). Both genera were recovered
from the John Day Miocene deposits of Oregon. Cope did not propose a
new systematic arrangement of these geomyids, but referred them to the
family Saccomyidae and mentioned that the Saccomyidae was equivalent
to the family Geomyidae of Alston. Winge, in 1887, followed Cope in
referring _Pleurolicus_ and _Entoptycus_ to the Saccomyidae along with
the living genera _Thomomys_ and _Geomys_. Miller and Gidley (1918),
in their synopsis of the supergeneric groups of rodents, proposed a
new subfamily, Entoptychinae, to include the divergent Miocene pocket
gophers. Miller and Gidley also revived the old subfamily Geomyinae of
Baird (1858), but restricted its application to the modern pocket
gophers and their immediate ancestors. In 1936, A. E. Wood revised the
taxa of the subfamily Entoptychinae, and described the first Miocene
genus, _Dikkomys_, of the Geomyinae. He followed the supergeneric
classification of Miller and Gidley (1918).
The recent classifications of Simpson (1945) and Wood (1955) have
combined the classifications of Merriam (1895) and Wood (1936). Wood
(1955) brought up to date the list of genera, including those that
were described after the publication of Simpson's classification
(1945). In Table 1, the list of genera is principally from Simpson
(1945) but generic names used by Wood (1955) are included. This is the
currently accepted classification.
The new classification proposed in this paper (see Table 1) includes
three tribes proposed as vertical units; they are intended to stress
the phyletic trends in the known evolutionary sequences by placing
immediate ancestors together with their descendants.
_Pliogeomys_ is placed in the same tribe (Geomyini) as _Zygogeomys_,
_Geomys_, _Orthogeomys_, and _Pappogeomys_. That tribe includes the
most specialized Geomyinae. _Zygogeomys_, _Geomys_, _Orthogeomys_, and
_Pappogeomys_ are lineages resulting from a Pleistocene radiation in
which all the lineages diverged from a common Pliocene ancestor. The
radiation of the Geomyini was well under way by the close of the late
Pliocene. Although _Pliogeomys_ may not be the actual ancestor, it
closely resembles the primitive morphotype.
TABLE 1.--History of the classification of the Superfamily Geomyoidea
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