Spermophilus
Genus of rodents / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Spermophilus is a genus of ground squirrels in the squirrel family.[1] 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 the certainly distinct prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels. As a consequence, all the former Spermophilus species of North America have been moved to other genera, leaving the European and Asian species as true Spermophilus (the only exceptions are two Asian Urocitellus).[2]
Spermophilus Temporal range: Middle Miocene - Recent | |
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Spermophilus in Turkey | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Sciuridae |
Tribe: | Marmotini |
Genus: | Spermophilus F. Cuvier, 1825 |
Type species | |
Mus citellus | |
Species | |
See text. |
Relationships among the Marmotini according to cytochrome b data (Helgen et al., 2009: fig. 2): Genera that were formerly included in Spermophilus are in bold. |
Some species are sometimes called susliks (or sousliks). This name comes from Russian суслик, suslik.[3] In some languages, a derivative of the name is in common usage, for example suseł in Polish. The scientific name of this genus means "seed-lovers" (gr. σπέρμα sperma, genitive σπέρματος spermatos – seed; φίλος philos – friend, lover).[4]