Marmotini

Tarbagan marmot Marmota sibirica, photographed by Eva Součková.

Belongs within: Xerinae.
Contains: Tamias, Spermophilus.

The Marmotini are a clade of either terrestrial or terrestrially nesting squirrels, including the chipmunks, marmots and prairie dogs. Many Marmotini nest socially, and all undergo at least some period of hibernation over winter. The most sociable are the prairie dogs of the North American genus Cynomys, which form large 'towns' containing numerous family groups.

See also: Taxon of the Week: Marmotini; Groundhogs, woodchucks and other big squirrels.

Characters (from Moore 1959): Two transbullar septa per auditory bulla; orbital length at least 1.15× interorbital breadth; no temporal foramen in squamosoparietal suture; sphenopalatine foramen usually with less than half area of sphenoidal fissure; supraorbital notches generally open and trenchant.

Marmotini [Marmotinae]
    |--+--Tamias SSH04
    |  `--Sciurotamias SSH04
    |       |--S. davidianus MR03
    |       `--S. forresti IT07
    `--+--Ammospermophilus MR03
       |    |--A. harisii MR03
       |    |--A. insularis IT07
       |    |--A. interpres (Merriam 1890) MB86
       |    |--A. leucurus IT07
       |    `--A. nelsoni IT07
       `--+--Spermophilus MR03
          `--+--Cynomys MR03
             |    |  i. s.: C. hibbardi MH03
             |    |         C. sappaensis (Goodwin 1995) MH03
             |    |--C. (Cynomys) AF86
             |    |    |--C. (C.) ludovicianus (Ord in Guthrie 1815) AF86, B75 [=Arctomys ludoviciana B75]
             |    |    `--C. (C.) mexicanus Merriam 1892 AF86, MB86
             |    `--C. (Leucocrossuromys) AF86
             |         |--C. (L.) gunnisoni AF86
             |         |--C. (L.) leucurus AF86
             |         `--C. (L.) parvidens AF86
             `--Marmota MR03
                  |--M. baibacina IT07
                  |--M. bobak IT07
                  |--M. broweri IT07
                  |--M. caligata IT07
                  |--M. camtschatica IT07
                  |--M. caudata IT07
                  |--M. flaviventris MHL03
                  |--M. himalayana IT07
                  |--M. marmota IT07
                  |--M. menzbieri IT07
                  |--M. monax (Linnaeus 1758) [=Mus monax] B75
                  |    |--M. m. monax B75
                  |    |--M. m. bunkeri Black 1938 B75
                  |    `--M. m. rufescens B75
                  |--M. olympus IT07
                  |--M. sibirica IT07
                  `--M. vancouverensis IT07

Marmotini incertae sedis:
  Citellus B74
    |--C. beecheyi B49
    |--C. lateralis J68
    |    |--C. l. lateralis J68
    |    |--C. l. chrysodeirus J68
    |    |--C. l. cinerascens J68
    |    `--C. l. tescorum J68
    |--C. mexicanus GM71
    `--C. saturatus J68
  Eutamias B74
    |--E. alpinus M68
    |--E. amoenus J68
    |--E. asiaticus D56
    |--E. canipes S85
    |--E. cinereicollis S85
    |--E. dorsalis GM71
    |--E. ruficaudus J68
    |--E. minimus S85
    |    |--E. m. minimus S85
    |    |--E. m. atristriatus S85
    |    |--E. m. consobrinus S85
    |    |--E. s. operarius S85
    |    `--E. m. scrutator S85
    |--E. quadrivittatus S85
    |--E. sibericus B74
    |--E. sonomae J68
    |--E. townsendii J68
    `--E. umbrinus S85
  Protospermophilus SSH04
  Miospermophilus SSH04

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[AF86] Anderson, E., S. C. Forrest, T. W. Clark & L. Richardson. 1986. Paleobiology, biogeography, and systematics of the black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes (Audubon & Bachman), 1851. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs 8: 11-62.

[B49] Baker, E. W. 1949. A review of the mites of the family Cheyletidae in the United States National Museum. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 99 (3238): 267-320.

[B75] Bowles, J. B. 1975. Distribution and biogeography of mammals of Iowa. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University 9: 1-184.

[B74] Bugge, J. 1974. The cephalic arterial system in insectivores, primates, rodents and lagomorphs, with special reference to the systematic classification. Acta Anatomica 87 (Suppl 62): 1-160.

[D56] Dawes, B. 1956. The Trematoda with special reference to British and other European forms. University Press: Cambridge.

[GM71] Goodman, M., & G. W. Moore. 1971. Immunodiffusion systematics of the primates I. The Catarrhini. Systematic Zoology 20 (1): 19-62.

[IT07] Isaac, N. J. B., S. T. Turvey, B. Collen, C. Waterman & J. E. M. Baillie. 2007. Mammals on the EDGE: conservation priorities based on threat and phylogeny. PloS One 2 (3): e296.

[J68] Johnson, M. L. 1968. Application of blood protein electrophoretic studies to problems in mammalian taxonomy. Systematic Zoology 17 (1): 23-30.

[MH03] Martin, R. A., R. T. Hurt, J. G. Honey & P. Peláez-Campomanes. 2003. Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene rodents fom the northern Borchers Badlands (Meade County, Kansas), with comments on the Blancan-Irvingtonian boundary in the Meade Basin. Journal of Paleontology 77 (5): 985-1001.

[MB86] Matson, J. O. & R. H. Baker. 1986. Mammals of Zacatecas. Special Publications, Museum of Texas Tech University 24: 1-88.

[MHL03] Meng, J., Y. Hu & C. Li. 2003. The osteology of Rhombomylus (Mammalia, Glires): Implications for phylogeny and evolution of Glires. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 275: 1-247.

[MR03] Mercer, J. M., & V. L. Roth. 2003. The effects of Cenozoic global change on squirrel phylogeny. Science 299: 1568-1572.

Moore, J. C. 1959. Relationships among the living squirrels of the Sciurinae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 118 (4): 153-206.

[M68] Murray, K. F. 1968. Distribution of North American mammals. Systematic Zoology 17 (1): 99-102.

[SSH04] Steppan, S. J., B. L. Storz & R. S. Hoffmann. 2004. Nuclear DNA phylogeny of the squirrels (Mammalia: Rodentia) and the evolution of arboreality from c-myc and RAG1. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30: 703-719.

[S85] Sullivan, R. M. 1985. Phyletic, biogeographic, and ecologic relationships among montane populations of least chipmunks (Eutamias minimus) in the Southwest. Systematic Zoology 34 (4): 419-448.