Spermophilus (Spermophilus) suslicus (Guldenstaedt 1770)

[Mus] suslicus Guldenstaedt 1770, Nova Comm. Acad. Sci. Petropoli, 14: 389.

Type Locality: "...in campis vastissimus tanaicensibus precipue urbes et Tambov " [Voronezh area, Voronezhsk. Obl., Russia].

Vernacular Names: Speckled Ground Squirrel.

Subspecies::

Subspecies Spermophilus (Spermophilus) suslicus subsp. suslicus Guldenstaedt 1770

Subspecies Spermophilus (Spermophilus) suslicus subsp. boristhenicus Pusanov 1958

Subspecies Spermophilus (Spermophilus) suslicus subsp. guttatus Pallas 1770

Distribution: Steppes of E and S Europe, including Poland, E Romania, Ukraine north to Oka River and east to the Volga River (Russia).

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable.

Discussion: Subgenus Spermophilus Gromov et al. (1965:212) . Reviewed by Corbet (1978 c) and Gromov and Erbajeva (1995), who listed only four subspecies. Hybridizes with major west of Kazan’ (Ermakov, 1996). See also comment under pygmaeus .