Brachylagus idahoensis (Merriam, 1891)

Robert S. Hoffmann, 1993, Order Lagomorpha, Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 807-827 : 813

Brachylagus idahoensis (Merriam, 1891) . N. Am. Fauna, 5:76.

TYPE LOCALITY: "Pahsimeroi Valley [near Goldburg, Custer County], Idaho." [ USA] .

DISTRIBUTION: SW Oregon to EC California, SW Utah, N to SW Montana ( USA). Isolated population in WC Washington ( USA).

STATUS: The status of the isolated Washington population is uncertain. Varies from secure to IUCN - Vulnerable depending upon population ( Chapman et al., 1990).

SYNONYMS: Monotypic.

COMMENTS: Formerly included in Sylvilagus ; but see Corbet (1983). Placed in the monotypic genus Brachylagus by Dawson (1967) and, together with bachmani , in the genus Microlagus by Gureev (1964:170-173); but also see Hall (1981:294), who recognized Brachylagus as a subgenus. This species is widely sympatric with Sylvilagus nuttallii, and perhaps overlaps narrowly with S. audubonii. It has been interpreted as either a primitive rabbit ( Hibbard, 1963), or as derived from Sylvilagus ( Corbet, 1983). Reviewed by Green and Flinders (1980, Mammalian Species, 125).