226.

Tropical Ground Squirrel

Notocitellus adocetus

French: Spermophile des Tropiques / German: Tropischer Ziesel / Spanish: Ardilla terrestre tropical

Taxonomy. Citellus adocetus Merriam, 1903,

“La Salada, 40 miles [64 km] south of Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico.”

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N. a. adocetus Merriam, 1903 — S Michoacan (Mexico).

N. a. infernatus Alvarez & Ramirez-Pulido, 1968 — from SW Jalisco across Michoacan to N Guerrero and S Distrito Federal (Mexico).

Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 175-5 mm (males) and 168-3 mm (females), tail mean 150-2 mm (males) and 1319 mm (females); 163-250 g. The Tropical Ground Squirrel is medium-sized and has cinnamon to pale rust agouti dorsum; limbs are more red, and eye ring is pale orange and conspicuous. Venter is pale yellow to buff. Tail is relatively long and broad, grizzled gray with darker core and frosted tips of hair suffused with cinnamon to rust without tail rings. Subspecies infernatus is smaller and has more black around snout and cheeks.

Habitat. Xeric rocky habitats within cliffs and canyons and seasonal jungle habitat to elevations of ¢.1200 m. The Tropical Ground Squirrel can cause significant damage to beans, corn, and sorghum.

Food and Feeding. The Tropical Ground Squirrel is an herbivore, feeding mostly on grass and forb leaves, stems, shoots, tubers, and especially seeds. It is strongly granivorous if seeds of Acacia and Prosopis (both Fabaceae) are available. It climbs trees and shrubs to access fruit and nuts. It will eat significant numbers of insects or scavenge animal matter when encountered.

Breeding. The Tropical Ground Squirrel inhabits burrows in which young are born. Breeding appears to occur in May-June in natural seasonal jungles but may be yearround in areas with readily available agricultural crops.

Activity patterns. The Tropical Ground Squirrel is diurnal and does not hibernate in winter; it might estivate in heat of summer if food is limited. Daily activity peaks in mid-morning.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Tropical Ground Squirrel can live in modest densities. Loosely structured colonies can occur in high-quality habitat. It is vocal, and individuals respond to potential predators with high-pitched chirps.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Tropical Ground Squirrel is stable. Lack of information on basic ecology and natural history are problematic. It is locally common and can be viewed as a nuisance or occasionally a pest of agricultural crops. Itis easily maintained in captivity and is sold in the pet trade.

Bibliography. Best (1995f), Ceballos (2014), de Grammont & Cuarén (2008), Hayssen (2008a), Herron et al. (2004), Mateju & Kratochvil (2013), Sanchez-Cordero et al. (2005), Thorington et al. (2012), Velazquez et al. (2003).