''Urocitellus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

ground squirrel Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents (Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known ...

s. They were previously believed to belong to the much larger genus ''

Spermophilus ''Spermophilus'' is a genus of ground squirrels in the Sciuridae, squirrel family. As traditionally defined the genus was very species-rich, ranging through Europe, Asia and North America, but this arrangement was found to be paraphyletic to ...

'', but

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

of the cytochrome ''b'' gene showed that this group was

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

to the

prairie dog Prairie dogs (genus ''Cynomys'') are herbivorous burrowing ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. Within the genus are five species: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. In Mexico, p ...

s and

marmot Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus ''Marmota'', with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, w ...

s, and could therefore no longer be retained as a single genus. As a result, ''Urocitellus'' is now considered as a genus in its own right. All but two species are native to the northern and western parts of North America, from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

through the north-western United States and western

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

; the Arctic ground squirrel inhabits Arctic terrain on both sides of the Bering Strait, while the long-tailed ground squirrel is exclusively found in Asia. The name of the genus is said to be derived from the Latin ''uro'', meaning "tail" and ''citellus'' for "ground squirrel". The proper word for "tail" in classical Latin is ''cauda''.Lewis, C.T. & Short, C. (1879). ''A Latin dictionary founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. ''Oura'' (οὐρά) is the ancient Greek word for "tail".Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. Revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Species

Thirteen species are currently identified: Genus ''Urocitellus'' *

Uinta ground squirrel The Uinta ground squirrel (''Urocitellus armatus''), commonly called a "chisler" and ''Potgut'' in northern Utah,Noble, Katie"Animal of the Week: What is a Potgut?" ''The Green Life'', 13 April 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2019. is a species of rod ...

, ''Urocitellus armatus'' *

Belding's ground squirrel Belding's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus beldingi''), also called pot gut, sage rat or picket-pin, is a squirrel that lives on mountains in the western United States. In California, it often is found at in meadows between Lake Tahoe Lake Ta ...

, ''Urocitellus beldingi'' *

Northern Idaho ground squirrel The northern Idaho ground squirrel (''Urocitellus brunneus'') is a species of the largest genus of ground squirrels. This species and the Southern Idaho ground squirrel were previously considered conspecific, together called the Idaho ground s ...

, ''Urocitellus brunneus'' *

Southern Idaho ground squirrel The southern Idaho ground squirrel (''Urocitellus endemicus'') is a species of the largest genus of ground squirrels. This species and the Northern Idaho ground squirrel were previously considered conspecific, together called the Idaho ground sq ...

, ''Urocitellus endemicus'' *

Merriam's ground squirrel Merriam's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus canus'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It occurs in the western United States in Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon. Description Merriam's ground squirrel is a small, grey, ground squirrel with a ...

, ''Urocitellus canus'' *

Columbian ground squirrel The Columbian ground squirrel (''Urocitellus columbianus'') is a species of rodent common in certain regions of Canada and the northwestern United States. It is the second largest member of the genus ''Urocitellus'', which is part of the tribe M ...

, ''Urocitellus columbianus'' *

Wyoming ground squirrel The Wyoming ground squirrel (''Urocitellus elegans'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the Northwestern United States The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwe ...

, ''Urocitellus elegans'' *

Piute ground squirrel The Piute ground squirrel (''Urocitellus mollis'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the Great Basin region of the western United States, where it is found in parts of California, Idaho, Nevada Nevada ( ; ) i ...

, ''Urocitellus mollis'' * Arctic ground squirrel, ''Urocitellus parryii'' *

Richardson's ground squirrel Richardson's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus richardsonii''), also known as the dakrat or flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus ''Urocitellus''. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called prairie do ...

, ''Urocitellus richardsonii'' *

Townsend's ground squirrel Townsend's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus townsendii'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in high desert shrublands in several areas of the United States. Distribution Townsend's ground squirrel is found in the Great Ba ...

, ''Urocitellus townsendii'' *

Long-tailed ground squirrel The long-tailed ground squirrel or Eversmann's souslik (''Urocitellus undulatus'') is a species of rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Description The long-tailed ground squirrel has ...

, ''Urocitellus undulatus'' * Washington ground squirrel, ''Urocitellus washingtoni''

References

Rodent genera {{ground-squirrel-stub