Dipodomys venustus Merriam 1904

Dipodomys venustus Merriam 1904, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 17: 142.

Type Locality: USA, California, Santa Cruz Co., Santa Cruz.

Vernacular Names: Narrow-faced Kangaroo Rat.

Subspecies::

Subspecies Dipodomys venustus subsp. venustus Merriam 1904

Subspecies Dipodomys venustus subsp. elephantinus Grinnell 1919

Subspecies Dipodomys venustus subsp. sanctiluciae Grinnell 1919

Distribution: Outer coast ranges from S San Francisco Bay to Estero Bay and Gabilan Range of San Benito and Monterey counties, WC California (USA).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Revised by Grinnell (1922), who considered elephantinus a separate species. Best et al. (1996) concluded that elephantinus was only a subspecies of venustus, based on both molecular and morphological comparisons; also see Stock (1974), Schnell et al. (1978), and Hall (1981:574). Dipodomys venustus, exclusive of elephantinus, was reviewed by Best (1992, Mammalian Species No. 403); elephantinus as a distinct species was reviewed by Best (1986, Mammalian Species No. 255).