Neotoma (Neotoma) lepida Thomas 1893

Neotoma (Neotoma) lepida Thomas 1893, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, 12: 235.

Type Locality: USA, "Simpson’s Route" between Camp Floyd (= Fairfield), Utah and Carson City, Nevada (as restricted by Goldman, 1932:61).

Vernacular Names: Desert Woodrat.

Synonyms: Neotoma (Neotoma) abbreviata Goldman 1909; Neotoma (Neotoma) arenacea J. A. Allen 1898; Neotoma (Neotoma) aridicola Huey 1957; Neotoma (Neotoma) bella Bangs 1899; Neotoma (Neotoma) californica Price 1894; Neotoma (Neotoma) desertorum Merriam 1894; Neotoma (Neotoma) egressa Orr 1934; Neotoma (Neotoma) felipensis Elliot 1903; Neotoma (Neotoma) gilva Rhoads 1894; Neotoma (Neotoma) grinnelli Hall 1942; Neotoma (Neotoma) insularis Townsend 1912; Neotoma (Neotoma) intermedia Rhoads 1894; Neotoma (Neotoma) latirostra Burt 1932; Neotoma (Neotoma) marcosensis Burt 1932; Neotoma (Neotoma) marshalli Goldman 1939; Neotoma (Neotoma) molagrandis Huey 1945; Neotoma (Neotoma) monstrabilis Goldman 1932; Neotoma (Neotoma) nevadensis Taylor 1910; Neotoma (Neotoma) notia Nelson and Goldman 1931; Neotoma (Neotoma) nudicauda Goldman 1905; Neotoma (Neotoma) perpallida Goldman 1909; Neotoma (Neotoma) petricola von Bloeker 1938; Neotoma (Neotoma) pretiosa Goldman 1909; Neotoma (Neotoma) ravida Nelson and Goldman 1931; Neotoma (Neotoma) sanrafaeli Kelson 1950; Neotoma (Neotoma) sola Merriam 1894; Neotoma (Neotoma) vicina Goldman 1909 .

Distribution: SE Oregon to C Utah and WC Colorado, south through Nevada, NW Arizona, and S California, USA, to S Baja California Sur, México.

Conservation: IUCN – Data Deficient as N. l. intermedia, otherwise Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Neotoma, lepida species group ( sensu Edwards and Bradley, 2002 b). Even with removal of N. devia, " lepida " may still represent a composite of two species (Mascarello, 1978; Riddle et al., 2000 b). As underscored in the phylogeographic study of Patton and Alvarez-Castañeda (In Press), based on cytochrome b data, populations from the coastal region of W California and the Baja California peninsula (= intermedia) are more genetically differentiated from lepida proper than are those of N. devia . Taxonomic stature of these coastal-peninsular populations, and the possible nomenclatural priority of the insular form bryanti for this complex, await integrated morphological and molecular confirmation (see Patton and Alvarez-Castañeda, In Press). As with N. devia, explicit allocation of species-group synonyms is needed. See Verts and Carraway (2002, Mammalian Species, 699).