Thomomys clusius Coues 1875
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Geomyidae
Thomomys
Thomomys clusius

description: 4.
Wyoming Pocket Gopher
Thomomys clusius
French: Gaufre du Wyoming / German: Wyoming-Taschenratte / Spanish: Tuza de Wyoming
Taxonomy. Thomomys clusius Coues, 1875,
“Bridger’s Pass, Rocky Mountains.” Restricted by C. S. Thaeler and L. L. Hinesley in 1979 to “Bridger Pass (located about 18 mi SW Rawlins,” (Carbon County, Wyoming, USA).
Placed into subgenus Thomomys. Formerly regarded as a subspecies of T. talpoides. Monotypic.
Distribution. Known from two localities in SE Sweetwater County and SW Carbon County, Wyoming, USA.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 100-130 mm,tail 50-70 mm; weight 40-70 g. The Wyoming Pocket Gopher has no discernible sexual dimorphism in body size. This very small pocket gopher has a fusiform body shape typical of all pocket gophers, and it possesses fur-lined cheek pouches that open external to the mouth. It is pale yellow dorsally and is easily distinguished from nearby species of pocket gophers by its small size, fringe of white hairs on ears, and absence of dark patch of fur below and behind ears (post-auricular patch). Molecular studies have shown the Wyoming Pocket Gopher to be genetically distinct from all other smooth-toothed pocket gophers (Thomomys), and its closest relative appears to be the “Pygmy Pocket Gopher ” (7. idahoensis pygmaeus). It has a 2n = 44 or 46 karyotype, which is different from those described for the Northern Pocket Gopher (7. talpoides) and the Idaho Pocket Gopher (7. idahoensus).
Habitat. Arid upland habitats with loose, gravelly, and well-drained soils usually dominated by greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus, Sarcobataceae). Wyoming Pocket Gophers are common along ridge tops and along edges of washes.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but all pocket gophers that have been studied to date eat predominately underground roots and tubers and a limited amount of surface vegetation. As in all other pocket gophers, the burrow system is a series of shallow feeding tunnels radiating spoke-like from a deeper, central network that contains one or more nest chambers and several smaller chambers for storage of food or fecal pellets. Surface feeding activity in the immediate vicinity of the borrow entrance has been reported for the Wyoming Pocket Gopher.
Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but breeding habits of the Wyoming Pocket Gopher are probably similar to those ofits closest relative, the Pygmy Pocket Gopher, which mates in spring and has 1-7 litters/year.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but most species of pocket gophers can be active at any hour of the day with periods of peak activity usually around dawn and dusk. The Wyoming Pocket Gopher does not hibernate and is active year-round.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, but like all pocket gophers, the Wyoming Pocket Gopheris solitary and aggressively territorial. Because it rarely leaves its burrow system, its home range is defined by size and extent of its burrow system.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Wyoming Pocket Gopher may be vulnerable to ongoing development by the natural gas industry within its limited distribution.
Bibliography. Clark & Stromberg (1987), Linzey & NatureServe (Clausen & Hammerson) (2008a), McDonald & Parchman (2010), Patton (1999¢, 2005b), Thaeler (1968), Thaeler & Hinesley (1979).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Geomyidae, pp. 234-269 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 237, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6603807