41. Smoky Pocket Gopher Cratogeomys fumosus French: Gaufre fuligineux / German: Colima-Taschenratte / Spanish: Tuza ahumada Taxonomy. Geomysfumosus Merriam, 1892, “Colima City, Mexico.” Cratogeomys was regarded as a subgenus of Pappogeomys by R. J. Russell in 1968 but was returned to generic status by R. L.. Honeycuttand S. L. Willams in 1982. Four species of Cratogeomys recognized by J. L. Patton in 2005 (C. gymnurus, C. neglectus, C. tylorhinus, and C. zinseri) were synonymized under C. fumosus by M. S. Hafner and colleagues in 2004, who also elevated C. planiceps to species status. Molecular studies show C. fumosus to be sister to C. planiceps and somewhat more distantly related to members of the C. castanops species group. Together, C. fumosus and C. planiceps constitute the C. fumosus species group. Four subspecies recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. C.f.fumosusMerriam,1892—WMichoacanandadjacentportionsofJaliscoandColima,Mexico. C.f.angustirostrisMerriam,1903—SWpartofCentralMexicanPlateau,includingpartsofJalisco,Guanajuato,andMichoacan,Mexico. C.f.imparilisGoldman,1939—CMichoacan,Mexico. C. f. tylorhinus Merriam, 1895 — SE part of Central Mexican Plateau, including parts of the states of Querétaro, Hidalgo, and Distrito Federal, Mexico. Descriptive notes. Head-body 210-280 mm (males) and 155-270 mm (females), tail 75-110 mm (males) and 65-105 mm (females); weight 300-1050 g (males) and 250-400 g (females). Male Smoky Pocket Gophers are usually much larger than females; this is especially pronounced in populations with larger average body size. A specimen captured in Michoacan, Mexico is the largest pocket gopher ever recorded from Mexico. The Smoky Pocket Gopher is extremely variable in body size, but most individuals are large for the genus. It has a fusiform body shape typical of all pocket gophers, and it possesses fur-lined cheek pouches that open external to the mouth. Pelage color varies from light brown to almost black dorsally and lighter ventrally. The English common name for this species, Smoky Pocket Gopher, applies only to specimens near Colima City, Colima, which have smoky-gray dorsal pelage. Anterior surface of each upper incisor has a single medial groove slightly displaced to the inner side of the tooth. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 40 and FN = 86. Habitat. At lower elevations, arid habitats with sandy orsilty soils supporting a thin cover of xeric-adapted grasses and shrubs; at intermediate and higher elevations, deciduous forests and pine-oak woodlands often in open, grassy meadows. The Smoky Pocket Gopher avoids areas with shallow or rocky soils and densely forested areas with little understory growth. It is known from elevations of 300 m to more than 3000 m. Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but all pocket gophers that have been studied to date eat predominately underground roots and tubers and a limited amount of surface vegetation. The Smoky Pocket Gopher readily invades cultivated fields and is considered an agricultural pest wherever it occurs in contact with humans. As in all other pocket gophers, the burrow system is a series of shallow feeding tunnels radiating spoke-like from a deeper, central network that contains one or more nest chambers and several smaller chambers for storage of food or fecal pellets. Breeding. Pregnant female Smoky Pocket Gophers have been collected in February, April, and July, and it might breed opportunistically throughout the year. Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Smoky Pocket Gopher is probably active at any hour of the day, with periods of peak activity around dawn and dusk. It does not hibernate and is active year-round. Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Smoky Pocket Gopher is probably solitary and aggressively territorial. Individuals probably leave their burrow systems only rarely, meaning that their home range is defined by size and extent of their burrow system. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Populations of the Smoky Pocket Gopher near Colima City, Colima (now regarded as populations of the subspecies fumosus) and isolated populations near Pinal de Amoles, Querétaro (formerly recognized as a separate species, C. neglectus) were listed as threatened under the Mexican Endangered Species Act in 2010. Bibliography. Alvarez-Castaneda, Castro-Arellano, Lacher & Vazquez (2008d), Ceballos (2014), Demastes et al. (2002), Fernandez et al. (2014), Hafner et al. (2004), Honeycutt & Williams (1982), Lee Hae-Kyung & Baker (1987), Patton (2005b), Russell (1968b), SEMARNAT (2010), Spradling et al. (1993).

Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Geomyidae, pp. 234-269 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 252-253, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6603807