239.

Pallid Ground Squirrel

Spermophilus pallidicauda

French: Spermophile pale / German: Fahiziesel / Spanish: Ardilla terrestre palida

Taxonomy. Spermophilus pallidicauda Satunin, 1903,

“Vicinity of Lake Khulu-Nur,”

Ullyn Bulyk, Baidarak River, Mongolian

Atlai, Mongolia, Gobi Altai.

Spermophilus pallidicauda has recently been elevated to full species from its formerstatus as a subspecies of S. erythrogenys. Monotypic.

Distribution. S Mongolia and N China (extreme E Xinjiang, N Gansu, and Inner Mongolia = Nei Mongol).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 198-233 mm, tail 35-53 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Pallid Ground Squirrel has dorsal pelage ranging from pale pinkish buff to straw. Reddish brown spot occurs below eyes and is connected to russet snout and back of neck by faint white-to-buff line. Eyelids are white; feet, limbs, and venter are white to buff. Tail is white to straw yellow, with rusty core through distal end.

Habitat. Steppes and grasslands of the Gobi Desert.

Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Pallid Ground Squirrel hybridizes with the Alashan Ground Squirrel (S. alaschanicus) in southern and Inner Mongolia, China, in the small area where their distributions overlap.

Activity patterns. Pallid Ground Squirrels are diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Pallid Ground Squirrelslive in large colonies of varying densities. They are extremely shy and quickly return to burrows when threatened.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend of the Pallid Ground Squirrel is unknown. The Mongolian Red List of Mammals lists unsustainable harvesting, degradation of habitat, and increasing aridity as sources of threat to the Red-cheeked Ground Squirrel (S. erythrogenys), which included the Pallid Ground Squirrel at the time of assessment. The Pallid Ground Squirrel has been regionally Red Listed in China as least concern. Greatest conservation challenge is likely overgrazing on the semiarid to arid grasslands they inhabit. They are also occasionally hunted for food and pelts. Lack of basic information on natural history and ecology is a detriment to effective conservation.

Bibliography. Allen (1940), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Thorington et al. (2012), Tsvirka et al. (2006).