The Xerinae comprise a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

s, many of which are highly terrestrial. It includes the

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

Marmotini (

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 ...

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 ...

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 other

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...

ground squirrels),

Xerini Xerini is a tribe of ground squirrels occurring in Africa and Asia. With the tribes Marmotini (Holarctic ground squirrels) and Protoxerini (African tree squirrels), they form the subfamily Xerinae. There are five living genera—'' Xerus'', the ...

(African and some Eurasian ground squirrels), and

Protoxerini The Protoxerini comprise a tribe of squirrels found in Africa. The 30 species in six genera are:Thorington, R. W. and R. S. Hoffmann. 2005. Family Sciuridae. Pp 754–818 in Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns ...

(African tree squirrels).Thorington, R. W. and R. S. Hoffmann (2005). "Family Sciuridae". pp. 754–818 in Wilson, E. D. and Reeder, D. M. (eds.),
Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference
', Vol. 2. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Taxonomy

Tribe

six species of ground squirrels in five genera, occurring in Africa and Asia. :''

Atlantoxerus The Barbary ground squirrel (''Atlantoxerus getulus'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Atlantoxerus''. It is endemic to the Atlas mountains in Morocco and some parts in Algeria, and has been ...

'' :'' Euxerus'' :''

Geosciurus The genus ''Geosciurus'' of African ground squirrels are found in most of the drier parts of southern Africa from South Africa, through to Botswana, and into Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Souther ...

'' :''

Spermophilopsis The long-clawed ground squirrel (''Spermophilopsis leptodactylus'') is a squirrel species native to grasslands and deserts in northeastern Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, northwestern Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It is the only membe ...

'' :'' Xerus'' Tribe

thirty species of tree squirrels in six genera, occurring in Africa. :''

Epixerus ''Epixerus ebii'', also known as Ebian's palm squirrel, Temminck's giant squirrel, or the western palm squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is the only species in the genus ''Epixerus'', although eastern populations (subs ...

'' :'' Funisciurus'' :'' Heliosciurus'' :''

Myosciurus The African pygmy squirrel (''Myosciurus pumilio'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Myosciurus''. It is found in tropical rainforests in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, ...

'' :'' Paraxerus'' :'' Protoxerus'' Tribe Marmotini ground squirrels in fifteen genera, occurring world wide. Includes the

prairie dogs 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 ...

, the

marmots 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, ...

(including

woodchuck The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through m ...

), and

chipmunks 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 ...

. :'' Ammospermophilus'' :''

Callospermophilus ''Callospermophilus'' is a genus of ground squirrel from North America. Etymology ''Callospermophilus'': gr. καλλος ''kallos'' – beauty, from καλος ''kalos'' – beautiful; genus ''Spermophilus'' F. Cuvier, 1825 Species The genus ...

'' :''

Cynomys 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 ...

'' :''

Eutamias ''Eutamias'' is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It includes a single living species, the Siberian chipmunk (''Eutamias sibiricus''). The genus is often treated as a subgenus of ''Tamias'', which is now r ...

'' :''

Ictidomys ''Ictidomys'' is a North American genus of rodent in the squirrel family, which contains the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, the Mexican ground squirrel, and the Rio Grande ground squirrel. These species were included in the species-rich groun ...

'' :'' Marmota'' :''

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 ...

'' :''

Notocitellus ''Notocitellus'' is a genus of ground squirrels, containing two species from Mexico. These species are the tropical ground squirrel (''Notocitellus adocetus''), and the ring-tailed ground squirrel (''N. annulatus''). ''Notocitellus'' was fo ...

'' :'' Otospermophilus'' :''

Poliocitellus Franklin's ground squirrel (''Poliocitellus franklinii'') is a species of squirrel native to North America, and the only member of the genus ''Poliocitellus''. Due to the destruction of prairie, the populations of Franklin's ground squirrel hav ...

'' :''

Sciurotamias ''Sciurotamias'' is a genus of rodent in the family Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chi ...

'' :''

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 ...

'' :''

Tamias ''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" ...

'' :''

Urocitellus ''Urocitellus'' is a genus of ground squirrels. They were previously believed to belong to the much larger genus '' Spermophilus'', but DNA sequencing of the cytochrome ''b'' gene showed that this group was paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and ...

'' :''

Xerospermophilus Pygmy ground squirrels are small ground squirrels in the genus ''Xerospermophilus'', family Sciuridae, containing four species from Mexico and the United States. The members of this genus were formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus '' ...

References

Xerinae Mammal subfamilies Taxa named by Henry Fairfield Osborn {{Squirrel-stub