Reprinted from Journal of Mammalogt 

 Vol. 12, No. 2, May, 1931, pp. 160-162 



PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTIONS OF FOUR NEW NORTH 

 AMERICAN GROUND SQUIRRELS 



By Arthur H. Howell 



Critical studies of the North American ground squirrels have brought 

 to hght several undescribed forms additional to those previously pub- 

 lished by the writer.' These are here briefly described in advance of a 

 more formal paper. 



Citellus beecheyi parvulus subsp. nov. 



Type.— Female subadult, skin and skull No. 28068/40167, U. S. National 

 Museum (Biological Survey collection); collected in Shepherd Canyon, Argus 

 Mountains, California, April 30, 1891, by A. K. Fisher; original number, 569. 



Subspecific characters. — Similar in color and cranial characters to Citellus b. 

 fisheri, but smaller; smaller and paler than beecheyi. 



Measurements. — Type (subadult 9): Total length, 410; tail vertebrae, 169; 

 hind foot, 50; ear from notch, 17. Average of 8 adult males (Argus Mountains, 

 Panamint Mountains, Owens Lake): 406.6; 161.6; 54.6; 19.6. Average of 12 

 adult females from same localities: 410; 163; 52.9; 19. 



Skull: Average of 7 adult males: Greatest length, 56.3; palatal length, 26.8; 

 zygomatic breadth, 35.3; cranial breadth, 23.3; least interorbital breadth, 12.8; 

 least postorbital breadth, 14.9; length of nasals, 20.9; maxillary tooth row, 11.1. 

 Adult female (type) : 54.1; 26; 33.3; 23.3; 14; 16.4; 19.4; 11.1. 



Range. — Desert ranges of southern California and northern Lower California, 

 from Owens Valley and the Panamint Mountains south to the San Pedro Martir 

 Mountains. 



Remarks. — This small, pale race intergrades with fisheri at the southern end of 

 the San Joaquin Valley and with beecheyi in the San Bernardino, San Jacinto, and 

 other ranges in southwestern California. 



iProc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 41, pp. 211-214, 1928. 



