The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah: University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, Vol. 1 No. 1Durrant, Stephen David
Science
The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah: University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, Vol. 1 No. 1
Durrant, Stephen David
Pocket gophers -- Utah
Large size is the distinctive feature of _Thomomys bottae lenis_. The
skulls are the largest of any species or subspecies of _Thomomys_ found
in Utah. In total length, however, these animals are no longer than the
extremes found in other named races. When Goldman (1942:75) described
this race as new, he referred it to the species _Thomomys townsendii_,
but remarked that the animal from Richfield was different enough from
any other form then named to merit probably full specific status. I
know of no character other than size to separate _Thomomys townsendii_
from _Thomomys bottae_, and since intergradation has been shown to
exist between these alleged _townsendii_ from Richfield and animals
from extreme western Utah known to belong to the species _bottae_,
_lenis_ is here arranged as a subspecies of _Thomomys bottae_ which
name has priority over _Geomys townsendii_.
The range here ascribed to this race is the Sevier River Valley from
Piute County as far downstream as the town of Lynndyl which is near the
eastern mainland of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. The Sevier River
continues farther out into Delta Valley ultimately to empty into Sevier
Lake, which at present is adjacent to the area that formerly
constituted the western mainland of the aforementioned ancient lake.
This watercourse may have provided a migration route in ancient times,
during the fluctuations of Lake Bonneville, whereby the animals
formerly of the western mainland were able to come far eastward. The
animals from Lynndyl which are intergrades between _lenis_, an eastern
mainland form, and _centralis_ and _aureiventris_ which are western
mainland forms of Lake Bonneville lend support to this hypothesis.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 26, distributed as follows:
_Millard County_: Lynndyl, 4,796 ft., 21. _Juab County_: U.
B. (= Yuba) Dam, 5,000 ft., 1. _Sevier County_: Salina,
4,575 ft., 1; Richfield, 5,308 ft., 3. (U. S. N. M.).
=Thomomys bottae levidensis= Goldman
_Thomomys bottae levidensis_ Goldman, Proc. Biol. Soc.
Washington, 55:76, June 25, 1942.
_Thomomys perpallidus aureus_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 39:75,
November 15, 1915; Barnes, Bull. Univ. Utah, 12 (No. 15):85,
April, 1922; Bull. Univ. Utah, 17 (No. 12):100, June, 1927.
_Type._--Male, adult, skin and skull, No. 191962, U. S. National Museum
(Merriam Collection); Manti, 5,500 ft., Sanpete County, Utah; December
6, 1888; collected by Vernon Bailey; original number 427 (after
Goldman, type not seen).
_Range._--San Pitch River Valley, Sanpete County, Utah.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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