Tamias merriami, J. A. Allen, 1889
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818944 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF99-ED64-FF69-FAA1FDFFFA9D |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Tamias merriami |
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Merriam’s Chipmunk
French: Tamia de Merriam / German: Merriam-Backenhornchen / Spanish: Ardilla listada de Merriam
Taxonomy. Tamias asiaticus merriami J. A. Allen, 1889 View in CoL ,
“San Bernardino Mts.”
San Bernardino County, California (USA).
Three subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
T° m. merriami J. A. Allen, 1889 — S of the
range of subspecies pricei, N through the
S Sierra Nevada, California (USA), and in-
land S to Nachogtiero Valley in extreme N
Baja California (Mexico).
T. m. kernensis Grinnell & Storer, 1916 — Kern Basin and E slopes of the extreme S of Sierra Nevada, California (USA). I"m. priceiJ. A. Allen, 1895 — 125 km of coastal area from San Francisco S to approximately Salinas, California (USA).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 131-6-135-3 mm, tail 106-4-116-1 mm; weight 68 71-3 g. Merriam’s Chipmunk is a large species of Tamias, with gray and brown longitudinal dorsalstripes that are usually equal in width, and white ventral pelage. Ears are long and narrow. Tail is the longest and bushiest within 7amias genus, and is nearly as long as head-body length. In addition to being a balancing aid, tail is possibly used for thermoregulation. Tail length is negatively correlated with elevation. Subspecies kernensis has pale pelage, with little distinction of dorsal stripes during winter. Subspecies priceis largest subspecies, and has darker pelage and longest tail. Chromosome number of Merriam’s Chipmunk is 2n = 38. Karyotype is type B for Tamias and consists of five pairs of metacentric autosomes, six pairs of submetacentric autosomes, seven pairs of acrocentric autosomes, a submetacentric X chromosome, and an acrocentric Y chromosome.
Habitat. Shrubby chaparral from sea level up to elevations of ¢.2940 m in the upper Sonoran and transition life zones. Merriam’s Chipmunk is sometimes associated with pines (Pinus, Pinaceae) and oaks (Quercus, Fagaceae). Rocks and wood debris are an important habitat component for Merriam’s Chipmunk.
Food and Feeding. Diet consists of several species of seeds, fruits, nuts, and insects and other animal matter when available. Conifer seeds and acorns compose majority of diet. Merriam’s Chipmunk is also a potential seed disperser, but this has not been well-studied.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. Merriam’s Chipmunk is terrestrial and diurnal with bimodalactivity; one peak in the morning and the other in the afternoon. It is active year-round, except at very high elevations, where it hibernates. When wateris scarce, behavioral adjustments and physiological responses to conserve water. Merriam’s Chipmunk sometimes uses burrows and tree cavities of other species, such as woodpeckers and ground squirrels, to build its nest. Tree nests appear to be preferred for rearing young.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Drought conditions reduce its densities, probably due to a decrease in food supply.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Merriam’s Chipmunk is common in suitable areas and current population trend is stable. Currently it has no major threats; however, distribution is somewhat fragmented, which could make it vulnerable to habitat loss at a locallevel.
Bibliography. Best & Granai (1994b), Davis et al. (2008), Linzey, Timm, Alvarez-Castafeda, Castro-Arellano & Lacher (2008u), Thorington et al. (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
