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Neotamias senex

(J.A. Allen, 1890)

Shadow Chipmunk

G4Apparently Secure Found in 11 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102290
Element CodeAMAFB02060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
GenusNeotamias
Synonyms
Tamias senex(J.A. Allen, 1890)
Other Common Names
Allen's Chipmunk (EN)
Concept Reference
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
Taxonomic Comments
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.

Also known as "Allen's Chipmunk." Elevated to species status (from subspecies of T. townsendii) by Sutton and Nadler (1974); see also Sutton (1987). Full species status of senex was originally rejected by Levenson and Hoffmann (1984) and Jones et al. (1986). See Gannon and Lawlor (1989) for vocalization information supporting recognition of T. senex as a distinct species. Jones et al. (1992) and Thorington and Hoffmann (in Wilson and Reeder 2005) accepted T. senex as a species. Sutton and Patterson (2000) subsequently delineated two subspecies: the interior nominate T. senex senex Allen, 1890 and the coastal T. senex pacifica Sutton and Patterson.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-07-22
Change Date2023-07-22
Edition Date2023-07-22
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2023)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 300
Rank Reasons
This species has a limited range, has many occurrences, is stable, and is not subject to any major threats.
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in the northwestern United States from north-central Oregon through the northern mountains of California (between the Klamath and Eel rivers, east to the Warner Range at the California-Nevada border, south to Yosemite, crossing the Nevada border east of Lake Tahoe). It occurs above 1500 m in the central Sierra Nevada (Gannon and Forbes 1995). See also Gannon and Lawlor (1989) and Wilson and Reeder (1993).
Occurrences Comments
There are many occurrences throughout its range.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Gannon and Forbes (1995).

Diagnostic Characteristics

Distinguished from other TAMIAS by large size (mass of up to more than 60 g), grayish wash over generally ochraceous upper parts (especially the top of the head, rump, and thighs), and the sharply defined and conspicuous eye stripes and postauricular patches (see Gannon and Forbes 1995). See also Sutton (1995).

Habitat

Coniferous forests and chaparral slopes; Transition and Canadian life zones. Does not readily climb trees.

Ecology

Predators include weasels, mink, and owls.

Reproduction

Probably similar to T. TOWNSENDII which breeds in the spring and produces 1 litter of 4-6 altricial young between May a nd July.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - ConiferWoodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparral
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS4Yes
NevadaS2Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (11)
California (11)
AreaForestAcres
Black ButteMendocino National Forest15,461
Cub CreekLassen National Forest8,643
Elk CreekMendocino National Forest23,182
GrindstoneMendocino National Forest26,031
Grouse LakesTahoe National Forest19,085
Heart LakeLassen National Forest9,349
Mt. Shasta AShasta-Trinity National Forest676
Mt. Shasta BShasta-Trinity National Forest2,809
Orleans Mtn. BSix Rivers National Forest17,183
Orleans Mtn. CSix Rivers National Forest15,589
Pilot CreekSix Rivers National Forest9,192
References (33)
  1. American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2024. The Mammal Diversity Database (MDD). Online. Available: www.mammaldiversity.org
  2. Baker, R. J., L. C. Bradley, R. D. Bradley, J. W. Dragoo, M. D. Engstrom, R. S. Hoffman, C. A. Jones, F. Reid, D. W. Rice, and C. Jones. 2003a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 2003. Museum of Texas Tech University Occasional Papers 229:1-23.
  3. Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp.
  4. Broadbooks, H. E. 1970a. Home ranges and territorial behavior of the yellow-pine chipmunk, <i>Eutamius amoenus.</i> Journal of Mammalogy 51:310-26.
  5. Broadbooks, H. E. 1970b. Populations of the yellow pine chipmunk, <i>Eutamias amoenus</i>. American Midland Naturalist 83:472-488.
  6. Brown, J. H. 1971. Mechanisms of competitive exclusion between two species of chipmunks. Ecology 52:305-311.
  7. Elliot, L. 1978. Social behavior and foraging ecology of the eastern chipmunk (<i>Tamias striatus</i>) in the Adirondack Mountains. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 265. 107 pp.
  8. Gannon, W. L., and R. B. Forbes. 1995. <i>Tamias senex</i>. Mammalian Species (502):1-6.
  9. Gannon, W. L., and T. E. Lawlor. 1989. Variation of the chip vocalization of three species of Townsend chipmunks (genus <i>Eutamias</i>). J. Mamm. 70:740-753.
  10. Gashwiler, J. S. 1965. Longevity and home range of a Townsend chipmunk. Journal of Mammalogy 46:693.
  11. Grinnell, J. 1933. Review of the recent mammal fauna of California. University of California Publications in Zoology 40:71-234.
  12. Hall, E. R. 1946. Mammals of Nevada. The University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
  13. Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I &amp; II. John Wiley &amp; Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp.
  14. Jackson, H. H. 1961. Mammals of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 504 pp.
  15. Jameson, E. W., Jr. 1999. Host-ectoparasite relationships among North American chipmunks. Acta Theriologica 44:225-231.
  16. Jones, J. K., Jr., D. C. Carter, H. H. Genoways, R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, and C. Jones. 1986. Revised checklistof North American mammals north of Mexico, 1986. Occas. Papers Mus., Texas Tech Univ., 107:1-22.
  17. Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23.
  18. Levenson, H. and R. S. Hoffmann. 1984. Systematic relationships among taxa in the Townsend chipmunk group. Southwestern Nat., 29:157-168.
  19. Levenson, H., et al. 1985. Systematics of the Holarctic chipmunks (<i>Tamias</i>). J. Mammalogy 66:219-242.
  20. Oxley, D. J., M. B. Fenton and G. R. Carmody. 1974. The effects of roads on populations of small mammals. Journal of Applied Ecology 11: 51-59.
  21. Patterson, B. D., and R. W. Norris. 2016. Towards a uniform nomenclature for ground squirrels: the status of the Holarctic chipmunks. Mammalia 80(3):241-251.
  22. Piaggio, A. J., and G. S. Spicer. 2001. Molecular phylogeny of the chipmunks inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20:335-350.
  23. Roberts, D. R. 1962. Rodent movements in a cutover forest of the Sierra Nevada, California. Ph.D. thesis, University of California, Berkeley.
  24. Sheppard, D. 1972. Home ranges of chipmunks (<i>Eutamias</i>) in Alberta. Journal of Mammalogy 53:379- 380.
  25. Storer, T. I., F. C. Evans, and F. G. Palmer. 1944. Some rodent populations in the Sierra Nevada of California. Ecological Monographs 14:166-192.
  26. Sutton, D. A. 1987. Analysis of Pacific coast Townsend chipmunks (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Southwest Nat. 32:371-376.
  27. Sutton, D. A. 1992. Tamias amoenus. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 390:1-8.
  28. Sutton, D. A. 1995. Problems of taxonomy and distribution in four species of chipmunks. Journal of Mammalogy 76:843-850.
  29. Sutton, D. A., and B. D. Patterson. 2000. Geographic variation of the western chipmunks <i>Tamias senex</i> and <i>T. siskiyou</i>, with two new subspecies from California. Journal of Mammalogy 81:299-316.
  30. Sutton, D.A. and C.F. Nadler. 1974. Systematic revision of three Townsend chipmunks (<i>Eutamias townsendii</i>). The South- western Naturalist 19(2):199-212.
  31. Wadsworth, C. E. 1972. Observations of the Colorado chipmunk in southeastern Utah. Southwestern Naturalist 16:451-454.
  32. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
  33. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Third edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Two volumes. 2,142 pp. [As modified by ASM the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) at https://www.mammaldiversity.org/index.html]