Otospermophilus
Otospermophilus is a genus of ground squirrels in the family Sciuridae, containing three species from Mexico and the United States. Otospermophilus was formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus Spermophilus, as a subgenus or species group. Since DNA sequencing of the cytochrome b gene has shown Spermophilus to be paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and marmots,[1] it is now separated, along with six other genera.[2]
| Otospermophilus | |
|---|---|
|  | |
| Rock squirrel at the Grand Canyon | |
| Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Chordata | 
| Class: | Mammalia | 
| Order: | Rodentia | 
| Family: | Sciuridae | 
| Tribe: | Marmotini | 
| Genus: | Otospermophilus Brandt, 1844 | 
| Species | |
Species
    
The three species in Otospermophilus are listed below. These are the same species that were previously grouped in the subgenus Otospermophilus.[2]
- Rock squirrel, Otospermophilus variegatus
- California ground squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
- Baja California rock squirrel, Otospermophilus atricapillus
 
References
    
- Herron, Matthew D.; Castoe, Todd A.; Parkinson, Christopher L. (2004). "Sciurid phylogeny and the paraphyly of Holarctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 31 (3): 1015–30. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.09.015. PMID 15120398.
- Helgen, Kristofer M.; Cole, F. Russel; Helgen, Lauren E. & Wilson, Don E (2009). "Generic Revision in the Holarctic Ground Squirrel Genus Spermophilus" (PDF). Journal of Mammalogy. 90 (2): 270–305. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-309.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2011.
External links
    
 Media related to Otospermophilus at Wikimedia Commons Media related to Otospermophilus at Wikimedia Commons
 Data related to Otospermophilus at Wikispecies Data related to Otospermophilus at Wikispecies
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