Spermophilopsis leptodactylus (Lichtenstein, 1823) . Naturh. Abh. Eversmann's Reise, p. 119.

TYPE LOCALITY: "Vicinity of Kara Ata, 140 km northwest of the Old Town of Bukhara" [Uzbekistan] (Ognev, 1966:394) .

DISTRIBUTION: SE Kazakstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, W Tadzhikistan, NE Iran, NW Afghanistan.

SYNONYMS: bactrianus (Scully, 1888); heptopotamicus Heptner and Ismagilov, 1952; schumakovi (Satunin, 1908); turcomanus (Eichwald, 1834).

COMMENTS: Related to African xerine squirrels ( Atlantoxerus and Xerus) (Nadler et al., 1969; Nadler and Hoffmann, 1974).