Orthogeomys thaeleri

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	GEOMYIDAE

Scientific Name:

Orthogeomys thaeleri

Species Authority:

Alberico, 1990

Common Name/s:

English

–

Thaeler's Pocket Gopher

Taxonomic Notes:

This species' taxonomy is currently being reviewed, it may be conspecific with O. dariensis (Sudman and Hafner 1992).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Anderson, R.P., Gómez-Laverde, M., Samudio, R. & McCarthy, T.

Evaluator/s:

McKnight, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) & Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority)

Justification:
Listed as Least Concern since, although its extent of occurrence is probably less than 20,000 km², it occurs in an area of extensive, suitable habitat that does not appear to be under threat, has a presumed large population, and is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

History:

1996

–

Lower Risk/least concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species occurs in Serranía de Baudó (extreme north-west Colombia) (Patton 2005). It has an altitudinal range of 100 to 500 m (Alberico et al. 2000).
Countries:	Native: Colombia
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	It is locally abundant, but populations are patchily distributed (Emmons and Feer 1997).
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It occupies open habitats with well-drained soils (Emmons and Feer 1997). It also occurs in tropical rainforest, mainly in lowlands. It is probably both diurnal and nocturnal, fossorial, and solitary. It is herbivorous and feeds on underground plant parts, such as tubers and stems, and on above ground parts pulled down from below. The presence of pocket gophers is shown by their shallow foraging tunnels, which appear as low humps snaking between damaged plants.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It occupies open habitats with well-drained soils (Emmons and Feer 1997). It also occurs in tropical rainforest, mainly in lowlands. It is probably both diurnal and nocturnal, fossorial, and solitary. It is herbivorous and feeds on underground plant parts, such as tubers and stems, and on above ground parts pulled down from below. The presence of pocket gophers is shown by their shallow foraging tunnels, which appear as low humps snaking between damaged plants.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are no known major threats to this species; it occurs in a remote area (R. P. Anderson pers. comm.).

Major Threat(s):

There are no known major threats to this species; it occurs in a remote area (R. P. Anderson pers. comm.).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is probably found in one protected area in Colombia, Cuena Quebrada Mutata Forest Reserve. It is not known from any other protected areas (R. P. Anderson pers. comm.).

Conservation Actions:

This species is probably found in one protected area in Colombia, Cuena Quebrada Mutata Forest Reserve. It is not known from any other protected areas (R. P. Anderson pers. comm.).

Citation:	Anderson, R.P., Gómez-Laverde, M., Samudio, R. & McCarthy, T. 2008. Orthogeomys thaeleri. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2010.
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