Spermophilus musicus Menetries 1832
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 musicus

description: 232. Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel <i>Spermophilus musicus</i> <b>French:</b> Spermophile du Caucase / <b>German:</b> Kaukasus-Ziesel / <b>Spanish:</b> Ardilla terrestre del Caucaso <b>Taxonomy.</b> Spermophilus musicus Ménetries, 1832, “Il habite le Caucase sur les montagnesle plus élevées, et non loin des neiges éternelles.” Restricted by P. A. Sviri- denko in 1927 to “Ush-Kulan,” Georgia. Similar chromosome morphology, molecular and genetic features, and vocalizations suggest that S. musicus may be conspecific with S. pygmaeus. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> N slopes of C Greater Caucasus Range (Russia). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head—body 205-240 mm, tail 34-50 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel is medium-sized and is brownish gray on dorsum, with small faint rust gray spots. Flanks are light brownish gray, suffused with yellow. Head is dark brownish gray, with straw gray to tan cheeks. Eye rings are straw yellow. Venter is whitish gray to straw yellow. Tail is grayish brown on dorsal surface; underside oftail is pale, sometimes suffused with rust; and tip is dark brown to black, sometimes frosted in white. <b>Habitat.</b> Alpine meadows, montane pastures, high-elevation grass steppes, and cerealgrain fields. The Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel can be found in modestly degraded rangelands. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel is an herbivore, feeding mostly on shoots, flowers, seeds, leaves, and bulbs of forbs and grasses. It will occasionally eat insects or scavenge animal matter. <b>Breeding.</b> The Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel inhabits burrows with a vegetation-lined nest chamber in which young are born, often located near a rock or vegetation. Males appear to emerge slightly before females in spring. Individuals mate soon after emergence. Litters of 2—4 young are born after 22day gestation. Long and complex burrows with multiple nest chambers and exits may be used for maternity needs. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel is diurnal and active aboveground in late spring and summer. It hibernates in burrows, beginning in late August and September for adults and September or Octoberforjuveniles; emergence occurs in March—-May depending on elevation. Hibernacula are usually in complex burrow systems c.1 m belowground. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> The Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel appears to be solitary and lives in loose but often locally dense colonies. Highpitched vocalizations are commonly produced from colonies. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel is unknown butlikely declining. Challenges to conservation are likely grassland degradation from overgrazing and conversion of alpine meadows to grazing pastures. It is occasionally hunted for food or pelts, and it can be a localized pest in grain fields. It is known to carry sylvatic plague and is sometimes killed for this reason. It is locally common in its restricted distribution. Conservation and management on natural landscapes are hindered due to lack of information on natural history and basic ecology. <b>Bibliography.</b> Emelianov (1983), Emelianov et al. (1982), Ermakov et al. (2006), Helgen et al. (2009), Nikol'skii et al. (2007), Sviridenko (1927), Thorington et al. (2012), Tkachenko et al. (1985), Trufanov &amp; Golubev (1982).
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 813, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226