The desert pocket gopher (''Geomys arenarius'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family Geomyidae. It is found in the

state of Chihuahua Chihuahua (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chihuahua), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is located in northwestern Mex ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Description

''Geomys arenarius'' is a medium sized rodent, with a relatively long and hairy tail, and pale coloration. Like other gophers, their bodies are thicker than other rodents, eyes are reduced, and they are equipped with large, strong-clawed forelimbs allowing them to be

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

. Their fur is a dull brown along their backs, with scattered black tipped hairs. The dull brown coloration continues dorsally and laterally until it reaches the chest, abdomen and feet, where it sometimes blends with the white hair of these areas.

Phylogeny

The desert pocket gopher is in the genus

Geomys The genus ''Geomys'' contains 12 species of pocket gophersSearch results for "''Geomys''" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database often collectively referred to as the eastern pocket gophers. Like all pocket gophers, members of this genus are fossori ...

, within the family Geomyidae within the order

Rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

ia. The evolutionary history of ''Geomys arenarius'' has been studied by several different parties, but the exact phylogeny is still being decided. While there was evidence to give the ''Geomys arenarius'' its own taxon based on genetic and morphological uniqueness, some researchers believe it is actually a subspecies of ''Geomys bursarius'' because of the similarities between the two rodents. No solid argument has been made to dispute the status of ''Geomys arenarius'' as its own species, but many researchers report that it is a subspecies, it has merely been separated by

allopatric speciation Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

Ecology

Distribution and habitat

Desert pocket gophers mostly inhabit a narrow strip of land following the Upper Rio Grande Valley from Chihuahua, Mexico, then proceeding north and west into parts of New Mexico and Texas in the United States. Due to their restricted home range size, they are isolated from other members of ''Geomys''. Desert pocket gophers prefer areas of well traveled, loose soil, or sandy riverbanks; places that are easy to tunnel into and make a burrow. They are commonly found near open water like rivers, ponds, or irrigation canals. The areas they inhabit are usually skirted by rocky plains or desert. Their preferred climate is one that is arid and moisture deficient, where summers are long and hot and winters are short and moderate in temperature. In comparison to other gopher species, the desert pocket gopher-depending on the properties of the soil-can have a significant effect on the soils in the habitats it dwells in because it causes more disturbance from its digging than other species do.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1763373 Geomys Mammals of Mexico Mammals of the United States Rodents of North America Fauna of the Chihuahuan Desert Fauna of the Rio Grande valleys Natural history of Chihuahua (state) Natural history of New Mexico Natural history of Texas Near threatened fauna of North America Near threatened biota of Mexico Mammals described in 1895 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot