Neotamias palmeri

See Patterson and Norris (2016) for a revised classification of Marmotini (Sciuridae: Xerinae), based on Thorington et al. (2012), Ge et al. (2014), and Patterson and Norris (2016); the three chipmunk lineages should be recognized as three distinct genera, namely, Tamias Illiger, 1811, Eutamias Trouessart, 1880, and Neotamias A. H. Howell, 1929. Thorington and Hoffmann (in Wilson and Reeder 2005) noted that chipmunks could be legitimately allocated to one (Tamias), two (Neotamias, Tamias), or three (Tamias, Neotamias, Eutamias) genera; they chose to adopt the single-genus (Tamias) arrangement.

This species formerly was regarded as a subspecies of Tamias umbrinus by some authors.

Small distribution in one mountain range in southern Nevada; population size likely exceeds 100,000; probably relatively stable or slowly declining; probably has been negatively affected by habitat changes resulting from woodcutting, campground development, and water diversions that reduce riparian habitat, and by predation by feral dogs and cats, but the degree of threat posed by these factors is not well documented; may be vulnerable to detrimental effects of increasing recreational use of the mountains (national recration area), but no documentation of this is currently available; may be highly vulnerable to climate change over the next several decades.

The range is restricted to the Spring (Charleston) Mountains, near Las Vegas, Clark County, southern Nevada, at elevations of about 2,050-3,300 meters (most abundant at 2,600-2,900 meters) (Hall 1946, Best 1993, Nevada Natural Heritage Program, Lowrey and Longshore 2010).

The number of distinct occurrences has not been determined using standardized criteria; the enire range could be regarded as a single occurrence or at most several closely adjacent ones. This species is represented by many localities localities in one mountain range; Lowrey and Longshore (2010) established trapping grids in 48 sites throughout the chipmunk's range and captured multiple individuals in every grid.

Water diversion is reducing available riparian habitat; campgrounds and woodcutting are reducing available habitat; feral dogs and cats are increasing mortality through predation (G. Clemmer, pers. comm., 1995). The degree to which these factors may significantly affect chipmunk populations in the near future is unknown, but threat impact may be low.

Residential and commerical development expanding from Las Vegas (east of the mountains) and in the Pahrump Valley (west of the mountains), and associated human population growth, combined with designation of the mountains as a national recreation area (NRA), could lead to negative impacts on chipmunk habitat and populations, though the NRA status might instead/also lead to favorable management (Hafner et al. 1998).

These chipmunks do not tolerate habiats with high temepratures and over the next several decades may be highly vulnerable to negative effects of ongoing climate change (Nevada Natural Heritage Program). The severity of the impact over the next 10 years or three generations is uncertain but may be slight.