Mammals of Northwestern South DakotaJones, J. Knox
Science
Mammals of Northwestern South Dakota
Jones, J. Knox
Mammals -- South Dakota
Bailey (1915:102) referred a specimen from Crow Buttes to _T. t.
bullatus_, but Swenk (1941:3), in the original description of _T. t.
pierreicolus_, suggested that this same specimen "probably" was
referable to the latter because he assumed it came from soils of the
Pierre series. However, Baker (1952:8) included the Crow Buttes in the
Hell Creek formation and, in any event, one of us (Jones) examined the
specimen in question and found it clearly referable to the subspecies
_bullatus_. Over and Churchill (1945:32) erroneously assigned pocket
gophers from northwestern South Dakota to two different subspecies
(_bullatus_ and _clusius_), referring at least one individual from
Harding County to _T. t. clusius_.
Fleas, _Dactylopsylla ignota_ (Baker), were found on one individual
examined. Molting adults were taken in each month from May through
August.
~Perognathus fasciatus fasciatus~ Wied-Neuwied, 1839
Olive-backed Pocket Mouse
_Specimens examined_ (16).--2 mi. N, 5 mi. W Ludlow, 3; 4 mi. S, 7 mi. W
Ladner, 9; 10 mi. S, 5 mi. W Reva, 1; 14 mi. S, 4 mi. W Reva, 2; 15 mi.
S, 4 mi. W Reva, 1.
This pocket mouse is not uncommon in areas of short grass and sage in
Harding County. None of five adult females taken late in June was
pregnant or lactating, but three had enlarged mammae indicative of
reproductive activity earlier in the spring, to which young of various
sizes in our series also attest. Active molt was evident on adults taken
on June 19, 26, and 28.
Our specimens are intergrades between _Perognathus fasciatus fasciatus_
and the paler _P. f. olivaceogriseus_. Average external measurements of
seven adults (two males and five females) are: total length, 138.0
(130-150); length of tail, 65.3 (59-74); length of hind foot, 17.1
(15-18.5); length of ear (six specimens only), 6.8 (6-7); weight in
grams (five specimens only), 12.9 (11.2-14.6). Selected cranial
measurements of the two males and two of the females are, respectively,
as follows: occipitonasal length, 24.0, 23.2, 23.5, 22.3; interorbital
breadth, 4.9, 5.2, 5.0, 5.0; mastoid breadth, 13.0, 13.1, 12.2, 11.9;
length of maxillary toothrow, 3.3, 3.3, 3.1, 3.4.
~Perognathus hispidus paradoxus~ Merriam, 1889
Hispid Pocket Mouse
An adult female, not reproductively active, that was trapped in rather
sparsely vegetated rangeland to the southwest of Slim Buttes (14 mi. S
and 4 mi. W Reva) on July 19, 1961, is the only specimen of the hispid
pocket mouse on record from Harding County. Other species of small
mammals taken in the same or adjacent traplines were _Perognathus
fasciatus_, _Dipodomys ordii_, _Reithrodontomys megalotis_, _Peromyscus
maniculatus_, and _Onychomys leucogaster_.
A single individual reported from Wade, Grant Co., North Dakota, by
Bailey (1927:123), approximately 100 miles to the northeast, is the only
specimen known from a more northerly locality.
~Dipodomys ordii terrosus~ Hoffmester, 1942
Ord's Kangaroo Rat
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