Tropical Ground Squirrel

The tropical ground squirrel (Notocitellus adocetus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. At one time the species was originally described as Spermophilus adocetus, but the genus Spermophilus was revised and subdivided in 2009 and it was placed in the genus Notocitellus. It is endemic to arid upland areas and deciduous woodland in Mexico. It is locally referred to as Cuinique. == Taxonomy == This species was first described in 1903 by the American zoologist Clinton Hart Merriam as Spermophilus adocetus. In a revision of the genus Spermophilus in 2009, Helgen determined that it should be split into eight genera, each one of which was morphologically distinct and shown to be a monophyletic clade by phylogenetic analyses. One such genus was Notocitellus, comprising the two species N. adocetus, the tropical ground squirrel, and N. annulatus, the ring-tailed ground squirrel. == Description == The tropical ground squirrel is smaller than its sister species, the ring-tailed ground squirrel (Notocitellus annulatus). The ears are more rounded, the snout is shorter and broader, the colour is paler and the tail is unringed. Many black hairs are mingled with the cinnamon brown fur, the head, upper back and bushy tail being darker than…