Spermophilus brevicauda

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	SCIURIDAE

Scientific Name:

Spermophilus brevicauda

Species Authority:

Brandt, 1843

Common Name/s:

English

–

Brandt's Ground Squirrel

Taxonomic Notes:

Previously considered a subspecies of S. erythrogenys, but recently elevated to species status (Harrison et al. 2003). Specimens in Xinjiang attributed to S. major are most likely brevicauda (Smith and Xie 2008).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Assessor/s:	Smith, A.T. & Johnston, C.H.
Reviewer/s:	Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Chanson, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)
Contributor/s:
Justification: This species is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species occurs in China and Kazakhstan (Smith and Xie 2008). In China it is present in the northern region of Xinjiang province (Smith and Xie 2008). It occurs allopatrically to Spermophilus alashanicus and S. pallidicauda (Smith and Xie 2008).
Countries:	Native: China (Xinjiang); Kazakhstan
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	There are currently no data regarding the population status of this species.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	There are few data regarding this species, but it is thought to occupy dry steppes and semi-desert brushlands (Smith and Xie 2008). It is a burrow-dwelling species, in which it will hibernate if temperatures are low enough or retreat to if it is too hot (Smith and Xie 2008). Burrows are generally located at the base of shrubs (Smith and Xie 2008). It is primarily vegetarian, feeding opportunistically on seasonal vegetation (Smith and Xie 2008).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

There are few data regarding this species, but it is thought to occupy dry steppes and semi-desert brushlands (Smith and Xie 2008). It is a burrow-dwelling species, in which it will hibernate if temperatures are low enough or retreat to if it is too hot (Smith and Xie 2008). Burrows are generally located at the base of shrubs (Smith and Xie 2008).

It is primarily vegetarian, feeding opportunistically on seasonal vegetation (Smith and Xie 2008).

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are unlikely to be any major threats to this species.

Major Threat(s):

There are unlikely to be any major threats to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There are no known conservation measures in place for this species. It is not known if it is present in any protected areas. In China, it has been regionally Red Listed as Least Concern (Wang and Xie 2004).

Conservation Actions:

There are no known conservation measures in place for this species. It is not known if it is present in any protected areas. In China, it has been regionally Red Listed as Least Concern (Wang and Xie 2004).

Citation:	Smith, A.T. & Johnston, C.H. 2008. Spermophilus brevicauda. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 May 2013.
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