The Baculum in the Chipmunks of Western North America — John Shaqi
The Baculum in the Chipmunks of Western North AmericaWhite, John A.
Science
The Baculum in the Chipmunks of Western North America
White, John A.
Chipmunks; Penis
The baculum is the bony part of the penis. In the species of the
subgenus _Neotamias_ the proximal part of the baculum is termed the
shaft, and the distal upturned part is termed the tip. On the dorsal
side of the tip there is a longitudinal ridge termed the keel. The
proximal end of the shaft is termed the base (see fig. 19). Depending on
the species, the shaft varies from 2.11 to 5.28 mm. in length, and the
base may or may not be widened or deepened.
The purpose of this report is to: (1) Show the usefulness of the
structure of the baculum as a taxonomic character in chipmunks; and (2)
compare a classification based on the structure of the baculum with a
classification based on the structure and appearance of the skull and
skin.
METHODS, MATERIALS, AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The bacula which were borrowed from the University of Michigan,
Museum of Zoology, were processed according to the method
described by Friley (1947:395-397), whereas all others were
processed according to the method described by White (1951:125).
Thus the bacula that were borrowed from the University of
Michigan, are maintained there in a separate collection, whereas
the bacula borrowed from other museums and those that are at the
University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, are housed with
the skulls of the corresponding specimens.
All measurements of the bacula were made by means of an eyepiece
micrometer.
A total of 194 bacula were seen. All of these are in the Museum
of Natural History of the University of Kansas, unless otherwise
indicated by the following symbols:
BS United States Biological Surveys Collection.
CN Chicago Natural History Museum.
LA Los Angeles County Museum.
MM University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology.
NM United States National Museum.
UU University of Utah, Museum of Zoology.
I am grateful to Professor E. Raymond Hall for guidance in my
study and thank Drs. Robert W. Wilson, Keith R. Kelson, and
Edwin C. Galbraith, as well as other friends and associates of
the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, for
encouragement and valuable suggestions. Dr. William L. Jellison,
United States Public Health Service, aided me in part of my
field work and kindly sent me some specimens of chipmunks. My
wife, Alice M. White, made the illustrations and helped me in
many ways.
For the loan of bacula I thank Dr. William H. Burt, University
of Michigan, Museum of Zoology. For permission to search for
bacula on study skins, and to process those that were found, I
thank Miss Viola S. Schantz, United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, Mr. Colin C. Sanborn, Chicago Natural History Museum,
Mr. Kenneth E. Stager, Los Angeles County Museum, Dr. David H.
Johnson, United States National Museum, and Dr. Stephen D.
Durrant, Museum of Zoology, University of Utah.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account