Tamias dorsalis, Baird, 1855
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818938 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF9C-ED61-FFC1-F757FA71F1D9 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Tamias dorsalis |
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Cliff Chipmunk
French: Tamia des falaises / German: Felsen-Backenhornchen / Spanish: Ardilla listada de acantilado
Taxonomy. 7 Tamias dorsalis Baird, 1855 View in CoL ,
“Santa Rita, Grant County, New Mexico,
USA.”
Six subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
T.d.carminisGoldman,1938—twoisolatedlocalitiesintheSierradelCarmen,Coahuila(Mexico).
T.d.grinnelliBurt,1931—NevadaandNWUtah(USA).
T.d.nidoensisLidicker,1960—CChihuahua(Mexico).
T.d.sonoriensisCallahan&Davis,1977—inthePacificcoastlinebetweenGuaymasandTastiotainSonora(Mexico).
T. d. utahensis Merriam, 1897 — Utah, S Idaho, S Wyoming, and NW Colorado (USA).
Descriptive notes. Head—body mean 123-5 mm (males) and 127-6 mm (females), tail mean 94-3 mm (males) and 104-5 mm (females); weight mean 64-7 g (males) and 74-4 g (females). Dorsal pelage of the Cliff Chipmunk is pale gray with very faint and indistinct stripes. Sometimes only middle section of medial longitudinal dark stripe is visible, in a charcoal or light brown. In other individuals, it is possible to distinguish
four faint longitudinal dark stripes, a pair on each side of body. Sides of body are faint reddish brown, and venter varies from white to cream. Face has two white stripes and a white patch occurs behind ears. Tail is grizzled gray on dorsal side and reddish brown on ventral side. Nominate dorsalis is a large and relatively dark form, with distinct colors. Subspecies carminis is also dark and has distinctstripes. Subspecies grinnelli has pale pelage, with faint narrow stripes on face and body. Subspecies sonoriensis is a small subspecies. Subspecies utahensis is the smallest and palest subspecies. Chromosome number of the Cliff 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. Montane pine forest (Pinus and Picea, Pinaceae), pinyon-juniper woodlands (Pinus; Juniperus, Cupressaceae), oak (Quercus, Fagaceae) woodlands, riparian forests and shrublands. The Cliff Chipmunk is common in rocky areas, with boulders or cliffs.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Cliff Chipmunk consists mostly of seeds, but also of forbs, grasses, shrubs, and cacti, including insects and other animal matter when available. Seeds are carried in cheek pouches and temporarily stored in scattered, small caches or in a larder for the winter.
Breeding. Although males are capable of breeding between January and July, reproductive season occurs between April and June when females are receptive. Gestation is 28-31 days; litter size is usually 4-6. Young are born between late April and August, emerge from May to September, and are weaned at ¢.30 days old. Some females are able to produce two litters in the same year, but most females produce only one litter and may not reproduce every year. Nests can be built in underground burrows, trees, rocky crevices, rock or wood piles, and cliffs.
Activity patterns. The Cliff Chipmunk is diurnal and mostly terrestrial, but sometimes climbstrees, brush, and cliffs. It is active year-round when the weather is favorable, but enters torpor for short periods when weather is severe.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Average home range is estimated to be ¢.0-9-1-3 ha. Groups of females sometimes forage together, with vocalizations described as a short “bark chirps.” The Cliff Chipmunkis very wary, and when threatened it runs for cover in rock piles and logs. Alarm call is loud, short, and sharp, usually given by an individual standing on its hindlimbs.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The current population trend is stable. There are no specific threats across the distribution and the Cliff Chipmunk is considered locally abundant in many places.
Bibliography. Dobson et al. (1987), Hart (1992), Hayssen (2008a), Rompola & Anderson (2004), 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.
