Notocitellus annulatus
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
Notocitellus
Notocitellus annulatus

description: 225. Ring-tailed Ground Squirrel <i>Notocitellus annulatus</i> <b>French:</b> Spermophile a queue annelée / <b>German:</b> Ringelschwanzziesel / <b>Spanish:</b> Ardilla terrestre de cola anillada <b>Taxonomy.</b> Spermophilus annulatus Audubon &amp; Bachman, 1842, “Western prairies.” Restricted by A. H. Howell in 1938 to Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Two subspecies are recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> N.a.annulatusAudubon&amp;Bachman,1842—SWN.a.toJalisco(Mexico). N. a. goldmani Merriam, 1902 — Jalisco to W Guerrero (Mexico). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body mean 221-2 mm (males) and 219-3 mm (females), tail mean 215-2 mm (males) and 207-6 mm (females); weight mean 360-8 g (males) and 386-3 g (females). The Ringtailed Ground Squirrel is medium-sized and has strikingly dark brown cinnamon-agouti dorsal pelage, with suffusion of orange to red on limbs. Eyes rings are buff to light orange. Venter is light rust to orange. Tail is grizzled slate-gray and frosted with light color ofventer. Subspecies goldmani has less rust color than annulatus. <b>Habitat.</b> Dry tropical deciduous forests, associated with figs (Ficus, Moraceae) and oil palm (Elaeis, Arecaceae), and thornscrub with mesquite (Prosopis) and Acacia (both Fabaceae) trees and shrubs. The Ring-tailed Ground Squirrel appears capable of persisting in croplands of agave, lemon, mango, guava, and corn. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Ring-tailed Ground Squirrel is an herbivore, feeding on grass and forb leaves, stems, shoots; however, fruits and seeds of palms and mesquite are preferred. Cacti flesh and fruits are also eaten. It eats significant numbers of insects and spends considerable time foraging in forest canopy. <b>Breeding.</b> The Ring-tailed Ground Squirrel reproduces in the dry season (December— June). <b>Activity patterns.</b> Ring-tailed Ground Squirrels are diurnal and active year-round. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> The Ring-tailed Ground Squirrel can live in low densities and appears to be solitary. Nesting can occur in burrows, crevices, or tree cavities. It vocalizes and quickly seeks shelter when alarmed. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Ring-tailed Ground Squirrel is unknown. Major conservation challenges might be degradation and fragmentation offorests and scrublands. It is locally common and can be viewed as a pest, resulting in it being hunted, trapped, or poisoned. Lack of data on natural history and ecology creates difficulty in effective management and conservation. <b>Bibliography.</b> Alvarez-Castafieda, Castro-Arellano, Lacher &amp; Vazquez (2008i), Best (1995h), Ceballos (2014), Howell (1938), 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 page 810, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226