Spermophilus pygmaeus
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Sciuridae
Spermophilus
Spermophilus pygmaeus

description: 231. Little Ground Squirrel <i>Spermophilus pygmaeus</i> <b>French:</b> Spermophile nain / <b>German:</b> Kleinziesel / <b>Spanish:</b> Ardilla terrestre pigmea <b>Taxonomy.</b> Mus citillus var. pygmea [sic] Pallas, 1779, “Indersk, Kazakhstan.” Four subspecies are recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> S.p.pygmaeusPallas,1778—LowerVolgaRiverregiontotheUralMts(Russia). S.p.brauneriV.Martino&amp;E.Martino,1917—CrimeanPeninsulaandSEUkraine. S.p.herbicolusV.Martino&amp;E.Martino,1916—SUralMts(Russia). S. p. mugosaricus Lichtenstein, 1823 — E of Ural Mts (Russia) to W Kazakhstan. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head—body 175-260 mm, tail 25-50 mm; weight mean 235-2 g. Dorsal pelage of the Little Ground Squirrel ranges from pale gray, suffused with straw yellow, to brownish gray. Faint dorsal spots are sometimes reduced or even absent. Head is usually brighter than dorsum, with reddish spot above eye, sides are pale straw yellow, suffused with gray, and feet are white to straw yellow. Tail is variable, ranging from white, buff, and brown to charcoal. Subspecies brauneri is pale; tail is dark, with rufous cast. Subspecies herbicolus tends to have rust on head and tail. Subspecies mugosaricusis paler, with cinnamon-to-ocherous spotting. <b>Habitat.</b> Sparsely vegetated arid and semiarid grasslands. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Little Ground Squirrel feeds on leaves, shoots, seeds, underground stems, roots, and bulbs. It also feeds heavily on pasture grasses and vegetable crops. <b>Breeding.</b> Male Little Ground Squirrels actively pursue females after emergence from hibernation and attempt to repel other competing males. Gestation lasts 25-26 days, and litters have 2-12 young (typically averaging 6-8 young) that are born underground. Young emerge after 20-22 days. Females have only one litter a year. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Little Ground Squirrel is diurnal and hibernates in burrows for 5-8 months a year. Males emerge first in spring, often in March-April, followed by females. Due to hot arid environments, individuals may enter torpor in June-July and then reemerge or transition from torpor to hibernation. Males are the first to hibernate in August. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Short shallow burrows without nest chambers are used for escape; longer and more convoluted burrows, which may reach 1 m in depth and have one or more nest chambers, are used for maternity needs and hibernation. Little Ground Squirrels live in colonies with intrasexual territoriality, where females have small territories that are defended from other females, and males have large territories that overlap those of several females. Vocalizations are high-pitched alarm calls and moderately complex. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend ofthe Little Ground Squirrelis decreasing. Major threats are desiccation in the southern Volga region and wetter trends in mid-latitudes. Abandonment of traditional agricultural practices and overgrazing with increased use of pesticides and irrigation are serious threats. Individuals are shot and poisoned to remove localized damage to vegetable crops. Populations of the Little Ground Squirrel undergo periodic declines, and in the European part of the distribution, some local populations have been extirpated in the last 30 years. Despite these declines, the Little Ground Squirrel remains widespread and abundant overall. <b>Bibliography.</b> Gladkina &amp; Skalinov (1987), Hayssen (2008a), Hayssen et al. (1993), Nikol'skii (2007a), Ognev (1963), Thorington et al. (2012).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, pp. 648-837 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on pages 812-813, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226