Otospermophilus
Otospermophilus is a genus of ground squirrels in the family Sciuridae, containing three species from Mexico and the United States. "Otospermophilus" was formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus "Spermophilus", as a subgenus or species group. Since DNA sequencing of the cytochrome "b" gene has shown "Spermophilus" to be paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and marmots, it is now separated, along with six other genera. Species. The three species in "Otospermophilus" are listed below. These are the same species that were previously grouped in the subgenus "Otospermophilus".