Geomys attwateri Merriam 1895
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
Geomys
Geomys attwateri

description: 18.
Attwater’s Pocket Gopher
Geomys attwateri
French: Gaufre dAttwater / German: AttwaterTaschenratte / Spanish: Tuza de Attwater
Other common names: Victoria Pocket Gopher (ammophilus)
Taxonomy. Geomys breviceps attwater: Merriam, 1895,
“Rockport, Aransas Co., Texas, » USA.
Previously regarded as a subspecies of G. bursarius but elevated to species status by P. K. Tucker and D.J. Schmidly in 1981. Molecular studies suggest that G. attwater: is sister to G. streckeri. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
G.a.attwateriMerriam,1895—GulfcoastofSETexas(betweentheBrazosandNuecesrivers),USA.
G. a. ammophilus Davis, 1940 — between Colorado and Guadalupe rivers in SE Texas, USA.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 130-175 mm, tail 50-70 mm; weight c.160 g (males) and ¢.130 g (females). Male Attwater’s Pocket Gophers are usually larger than females; this is especially pronounced in populations with larger average body size. It 1s average size for the genus. It has a fusiform body shape typical of all pocket gophers, and it possesses fur-lined cheek pouches that open external to the mouth. Most individuals are pale brown to black dorsally and lighter ventrally. Anterior surface of each upperincisor has a large medial groove flanked by a smaller groove located along the inner margin of the tooth. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 70 and FN = 72-74.
Habitat. Only in areas with friable soils, typically dominated by grasses. Attwater’s Pocket Gopher is usually found in soils ranging from sandy loam to silty clay loam, often with high levels (above 88%) of sand. Where it occurs along the Gulf coastal prairie, vegetation is dominated by perennial bunchgrasses and seasonally occurring forbs.
Food and Feeding. Attwater’s Pocket Gopheris a feeding generalist, consuming 36 of 51 available plant species in a study in south-eastern Texas. Individuals avoided annual dicots in winter and preferred perennial dicotyledonous when they were available. Females, especially pregnant females, preferred perennial monocots in spring. Attwater’s Pocket Gopher eats predominately underground roots and tubers and a limited amount of surface vegetation;it readily invades cultivated fields and is considered an agricultural pest wherever it occurs in contact with humans. 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. Feeding tunnels are deeper in the ground in winter and summer and shallower in spring and autumn in response to availability of shallow roots of annual monocots.
Breeding. Breeding season spans the cooler months of the year (generally October— June), with females having 1-2 litters/year and each litter containing 2-3 young.
Activity patterns. Attwater’s Pocket Gopheris active at any hour of the day, with periods of peak activity around dawn and dusk. It does not hibernate and is active year-round. One population of Attwater’s Pocket Gopher moved 57,000-70,000 1 ofsoil from belowground to the surface per hectare per year.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Attwater’s 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. In one study, burrow systems of Attwater’s Pocket Gopher had more loops and convolutions than did typically linear, branching burrow systems of other pocket gopher species. Attwater’s Pocket Gopher is often abundant, and estimates of density are 11-44 ind/ha. Hawks, owls, and mammalian carnivores commonly prey on Attwater’s Pocket Gopher, and most individuals live only one year in the wild. Some individuals have been reported to live up to 2:5 years in the wild.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.
Bibliography. Chambers et al. (2009), Davis (1940), Linzey & NatureServe (Hammerson) (2008m), Patton (2005b), Tucker & Schmidly (1981), Williams, L.R. (1999a), Williams, L.R. & Cameron (1991).
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 243, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6603807