Dipodomys nelsoni Merriam 1907
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
Heteromyidae
Dipodomys
Dipodomys nelsoni

description: 49.
Nelson’s Kangaroo Rat
Dipodomys nelsoni
French: Rat-kangourou de Nelson / German: Nelson-Kangururatte / Spanish: Rata canguro de Nelson
Taxonomy. Dipodomys nelsoni Merriam, 1907,
La Ventura, Coahuila, Mexico.
Based on molecular sequence analyses, D. nelsoni is a member of the spectabilis species group; it was previously considered a subspecies of the other member of the species group, D. spectabilis. Dipodomys nelsoni is sandwiched between three subspecies of D. spectabilis (nominate spectabilis and zygomaticus on the north, cratodon on the south), and investigators disagree on whether three specimens from near La Resolana in northern Durango (just south of the northern near-contact) represents sympatry, past sympatry with limited introgression, or current secondary intergradation between the two species. Molecular sequences including specimens from near La Resolana and throughout distributions of both species showed no evidence for intergradation. Prior to 1960, D. nelsoni was restricted to the east side, and D. spectabilis was restricted to the west side of the Rio Conchos andits tributary to the south, the Rio Florido, but in 1960 and 1961, D. nelsoni was found west of the Rio Florido and potentially in contact with D. spectabilis. To the south, D. nelsoni has been found within 20 km of D. spectabilis. Monotypic.
Distribution. NC Mexico (Chihuahuan Desert from SE Chihuahua and W Coahuila to N Zacatecas, N San Luis Potosi, and S Nuevo Leon).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 126-134 mm, tail 122-199 mm, ear 12-17 mm, hindfoot 44-50 mm; weight 73-102 g. Male Nelson's Kangaroo Rats are slightly larger than females. This is a somewhat large kangaroo rat, with four toes on hindfeet. Upper parts are grizzled buff; tail is bicolored, with black crest and white tuft. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 72 and FN = 134. Nelson's Kangaroo Rat and the Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat (D. spectabilis) can be distinguished in the north by plotting maxillary breadth against total skull length (Nelson’s Kangaroo Rat is smaller in both dimensions) and in the south by multivariate statistics (predominately greatest skull length, maxillary breadth, and length of maxillary tooth row); again, Nelson’s Kangaroo Rat is smaller in most dimensions.
Habitat. Arid rolling plains of the Chihuahuan Desert, from basins at elevations of ¢.1300 m to mixed-grass and thornscrub up to elevations of ¢.2000 m. Nelson’s Kangaroo Rat occurs primarily in relatively flat, open spaces in arid grassland or desert dominated by mesquite (Prosopis juliflora, Fabaceae), acacia (Acacia, Fabaceae), ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens, Fouquieriaceae), creosote bush (Larrea tridentata, Zygophyllaceae), yucca (Yucca, Asparagaceae), agave (Agave, Asparagaceae), and various cacti. Large mounds made by Nelson’s Kangaroo Rats are conspicuous on desert flats, as large as 5 m in diameter and 0-8 m high, wellspaced (mean = 16 m, range 5-33 m) from each other, and often surrounded by bare ground for a radius up to 23 m. Burrow systems have as many as 20 entrances, and mounds are honeycombed with tunnels and can penetrate hard subsurface layers of rock. It is likely that burrow systems offer benefits similar to those of the related Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat. Compared with neighboring subspecies of the Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat, burrows of Nelson's Kangaroo Rats had significantly more total openings and significantly smaller average diameter of inactive openings than either subspecies of Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat. Nelson’s Kangaroo Rat occurs with a rich variety of rodents including two kangaroo rats (Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat, D. merriami, and Ord’s Kangaroo Rat, D. ordii), two pocket mice (the Silky Pocket Mouse, Perognathusflavus, and Merriam’s pocket Mouse, P. merriami), three coarse-haired pocket mice (Chihuahuan Desert Pocket Mouse, Chaetodipus eremicus, Hispid Pocket Mouse, C. hispidus; and Nelson’s Pocket Mouse, C. nelsoni), one of two pocket gophers (the Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher, Cratogeomys castanops, or Goldman’s Pocket Gopher, C. goldmani), two harvest mice (the Fulvous harvest mouse, Reithrodontomysfulvescens, and the Western Harvest Mouse, R. megalotis), the Texas Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus interpres), the White-toothed Woodrat (Neotoma leucodon), the Chihuahuan Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys arenicola), and three deermice (the Cactus Deermouse, Peromyscus eremicus; the North American Deermouse, FP. maniculatus; and the Plateau Deermouse, P. melanophrys).
Food and Feeding. There is no information available for this species.
Breeding. Nelson's Kangaroo Rat breed throughout the year, but most reproduction occurs in April-September and November.
Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Male and female Nelson's Kangaroo Rats defend non-overlapping home ranges of 0-52-1-6 ha. It is unknown ifit is philopatric,as is the related Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat. Densities of Nelson's Kangaroo Rats are 8-5-28 ind/ha.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.
Bibliography. Alexander (1999), Alexander & Riddle (2005), Alvarez-Castaneda, Castro-Arellano, Lacher & Vazquez (2008a), Anderson (1972), Baker & Greer (1962), Best (1988b, 1993a), Best et al. (1988), Ceballos & Oliva (2005), Eisenberg (1963, 1993), Hafner et al. (2007), Hall (1981), Jones (1993), Matson (1980), Nader (1978), Patton & Rogers (1993), Williams et al. (1993).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Heteromyidae, pp. 170-233 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 224, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6611160