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
_Geomys_, slightly more specialized than _Zygogeomys_, must also be
regarded as one of the most primitive of the living genera. Primitive
features that have been retained are the generalized type of skull,
the bisulcate pattern of grooves on the upper incisor, and the
retention of enamel plates on both the anterior and posterior walls
of M1 and M2 (see Fig. 9A). All of these primitive features are
shared with _Zygogeomys_. In addition, three other trends, or
specializations, in evolution characterize the phyletic development of
_Geomys_. One major trend is toward loss of the enamel plate from the
posterior wall of P4. No trace of enamel remains on the posterior wall
of this tooth in late Pleistocene or Recent species of _Geomys_, and
at least one of the earlier species (_quinni_) was also characterized
by loss of this enamel plate. Secondly, M3 retains only a vestige of
the primitive bicolumnar pattern after the initial stages of wear. In
most Recent specimens, especially of the species _G. bursarius_, the
lateral re-entrant fold and the heel of M3 are small, and the
re-entrant inflection is hardly evident. The lateral fold is more
frequently well-developed in Irvingtonian species than in living
species (White and Downs, 1961:13), illustrating progressive loss of
the bicolumnar pattern in Pleistocene evolution. A third trend
involves the modification of the lateral folds of the premolars.
Primitively the angles of these folds are broadly open or divergently
V-shaped, and some of the earliest species of _Geomys_, for example
_G. quinni_, have retained this feature throughout life. Nevertheless,
the main trend is toward progressive compression of the folds
resulting in their walls being more nearly perpendicular, and
parallel, to the long axis of the tooth. Obtuse re-entrant angles
persist in premolars of young individuals of Irvingtonian species, but
the adults are characterized by well-compressed folds, as in Recent
species.
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