HOME --> CLASS MAMMALIA
--> ORDER RODENTIA
--> SUBORDER CASTORIMORPHA
--> FAMILY Heteromyidae
--> SUBFAMILY Dipodomyinae
--> GENUS Dipodomys
SPECIES Dipodomys merriami
Author: | Mearns, 1890. | Citation: | Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 2: 290. | Common Name: | Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat | Type Locality: | USA, Arizona, Maricopa Co., New River, between Phoenix and Prescott (see Lidicker, 1960:165). | Distribution: | NW Nevada and NE California to Texas (USA), south to Baja California Sur, N Sinaloa, and Mexican Plateau to San Luis Potosi (Mexico). | Status: | U.S. ESA – Endangered as D. m. parvus. IUCN – Critically Endangered as D. margaritae and D. insularis; Data Deficient as D. m. collinus and D. m. parvus; otherwise Lower Risk (lc). | Comments: | Revised by Lidicker (1960). Includes insularis Merriam, viewed as a separate species by Lidicker (1960; see also Huey, 1964, Hall, 1981, and Best and Thomas, 1991a, Mammalian Species No. 374), but as a subspecies of merriami by Best and Janecek (1992), Williams et al. (1993), and Patton and Alvarez-Castañeda (2000). Also includes margaritae Merriam (see Lidicker, 1960; Williams et al., 1993; Patton and Alvarez-Castañeda, 1999), which has been considered by others to be a distinct species (Best, 1992, Mammalian Species No. 400; Hall, 1981; Huey, 1964). The inclusion of both insularis and margaritae within merriami is supported by mitochondrial DNA sequence data (Riddle et al., 2000b), although these same data may eventually result in separation of populations of merriami (including insularis and margaritae) from the southern half of the Baja California Peninsula as a species separate from the remaining parts of the species’ range. |
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