''Tamias'' is a genus of

chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as ...

s in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the

eastern chipmunk The eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus'') is a chipmunk species found in eastern North America. It is the only living member of the chipmunk genus ''Tamias''. Etymology The name "chipmunk" comes from the Ojibwe word ''ajidamoo'' (or possibl ...

(''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' ( el, ταμίας) means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper", which is a reference to the animals' role in plant dispersal through their habit of collecting and storing food for winter use. The genus ''Tamias'' was formerly divided into three subgenera that, in sum, included all chipmunk species: ''Tamias'', the

and other fossil species; '' Eutamias'', of which the

Siberian chipmunk The Siberian chipmunk (''Eutamias sibiricus''), also called common chipmunk is native to northern Asia from central Russia to China, Korea, and Hokkaidō in northern Japan. It was imported from South Korea and introduced in Europe as a pet in th ...

(''E. sibiricus'') is the only living member; and ''

Neotamias ''Neotamias'' is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It contains 23 species, which mostly occur in western North America. Along with ''Eutamias'', this genus is often considered a subgenus of ''Tamias''. Spe ...

'', which includes the 23 remaining, mostly western, species. These classifications are subjective, and most taxonomies over the twentieth century have placed the chipmunks in a single genus. However, studies of mitochondrial DNA show that the divergence between each of the three chipmunk groups is comparable to the genetic dissimilarity between '' Marmota'' and '' Spermophilus'', so they are now often considered as separate genera. In addition to the eastern chipmunk, some fossil species from

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

have been assigned to this genus: *''

Tamias aristus ''Tamias aristus'' is an extinct species of chipmunk that lived during the late Pleistocene epoch. It was characterized from a fossilized skull found in a limestone quarry in Ladds, Bartow County, Georgia. The name is derived from the Greek aris ...

'' (Ray, 1965) – late Pleistocene *''

Tamias allobrogensis ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' ( el, ταμίας) means "treasurer", "steward", ...

'' Mein and Ginsburg, 2002 – Miocene of France *''

Tamias atsali ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' ( el, ταμίας) means "treasurer", "steward", ...

'' De Bruijn, 1995 – Pliocene of Greece *''

Tamias eviensis ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' ( el, ταμίας) means "treasurer", "steward", ...

'' De Bruijn et al., 1980 – Miocene of GreeceDoukas, 2003, table 2 ''

Tamias urialis ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' ( el, ταμίας) means "treasurer", "steward", ...

'' Munthe, 1980, described from the Miocene of Pakistan, may be more closely related to '' Tamiops''.Qiu et al., 2008, p. 115

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22364 Rodent genera Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger