Orville Dyer. 1998. Mammals in Smith, I.M., and G.G.E. Scudder, eds. Assessment of species diversity in the Montane Cordillera Ecozone. Burlington: Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network, 1998.
Orville Dyer
by David Nagorsen - Mammal Curator, Royal British Columbia Museum
This is a list of the 94 native mammals that occur in the Montane Cordillera Ecozone. Introduced species are not included. Distributions and the presence of these taxa in the Montane Cordillera Ecozone were based on Nagorsen and Brigham (1993), Nagorsen (1996), Smith (1993) and the authors unpublished distribution maps.
Nomenclature is based largely on Wilson and Reeder (1993). There are several deviations from the nomenclature of Wilson and Reeder (1993). As in Nagorsen (1990), I recognised the Northern Long-eared Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) as a separate species from Keen's Long-eared Myotis (Myotis keenii) (see van Zyll de Jong 1979; van Zyll de Jong and Nagorsen 1994) and the Western Small-footed Myotis (Myotis ciliolabrum) as a separate species from the Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Myotis leibii) (see van Zyll de Jong 1984). Based on molecular data from Morales and Bickham (1996), I considered western populations of red bats specifically distinct (Lasiurus blossevillii) from eastern populations (Lasiurus borealis). Although generic relations among the plecotine bats are contentious, I classified Townsends Big-eared Bat in the genus Corynorhinus (formerly Plecotus) in accordance with Frost and Timm (1992) and Tumlinson and Douglas (1992). I considered the heather voles to be a single species (Phenacomys intermedius), although the taxonomy of Phenacomys is unclear and authorities such as Cowan and Guiguet (1965) and Wilson and Reeder (1993) treated the northern-eastern forms as a separate species Phenacomys ungava. I followed Hogan et al. (1993) and treated the Columbian Mouse (Peromyscus oreas) and Sitka Mouse (Peromyscus sitkensis) as a single species-Keen's Mouse (Peromyscus keeni).
Orders and families are arranged according to their generally accepted phylogenetic sequence. The subfamilies of the rodent family Muridae are odered alphabetically. Genera within a family and species within a genus are ordered alphabetically.
Cowan, I. McT., and C. J. Guiguet. 1965. The mammals of British Columbia, 3rd printing revised ed, Handbook 11. British Columbia Provincial Museum, Victoria, 414 pp.
Frost, D. R., and R. M. Timm. 1992. Phylogeny of plecotine bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): summary of the evidence and proposal of a logically consistent taxonomy. American Museum of Natural History Novitates, 3034:1-16.
Hogan, K. M., M. C. Hedin, H. S. Koh, S. K. Davis, and I. F. Greenbaum. 1993. Systematic and taxonomic implications of karyotypic, electrophoretic, and mitochondrial-DNA variation in Peromyscus from the Pacific Northwest. Journal of Mammalogy, 74:819-831.
Morales, J. C., and J. W. Bickham. 1995. Molecular systematics of the genus Lasiurus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) based on restriction-site maps of the mitochondrial ribosomal gene. Journal of Mammalogy, 76:730-743.
Nagorsen, D. W. 1990. The mammals of British Columbia: a taxonomic catalogue. Royal British Columbia Museum Memoir, 4:1-140.
---. 1996. Opossums, shrews and moles of British Columbia. Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook, University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, 168 pp.
Nagorsen, D. W., and R. M. Brigham. 1993. Bats of British Columbia. Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook, University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, 164 pp.
Smith, H. C. 1993. Alberta mammals. An atlas and guide. The Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, 238 pp.
Tumlison, R., and M. E. Douglas. 1992. Parsimony analysis and the phylogeny of the plecotine bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Journal of Mammalogy, 73:276-285.
van Zyll de Jong, C. G. 1979. Distribution and systematic relationships of long-eared Myotis in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 57:987-994.
---. 1984. Taxonomic relationships of Nearctic small-footed bats of the Myotis leibii group (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 62:2519-2526.
van Zyll de Jong, C. G., and D. W. Nagorsen. 1994. A review of the distribution and taxonomy of Myotis keenii and Myotis evotis in British Columbia and the adjacent United States. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 72:1069-1078.
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder, eds. 1993. Mammal species of the world. A taxonomic and geographic reference, 2nd ed. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC, 1206 pp.
FAMILY SORICIDAE: Shrews
Sorex cinereus Kerr Common Shrew
Sorex hoyi Baird Pygmy Shrew
Sorex monticolus Merriam Dusky Shrew
Sorex palustris Richardson Water Shrew
Sorex vagrans Baird Vagrant Shrew
FAMILY TALPIDAE: Moles
Neurotrichus gibbsii (Baird) Shrew-mole
FAMILY VESPERTILIONIDAE: Vespertilionid Bats
Antrozous pallidus (Le Conte) Pallid Bat
Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois) Big Brown Bat
Euderma maculatum (J. A. Allen) Spotted Bat
Corynorhinus townsendii (Cooper) Townsend's Big-eared Bat
Lasionycteris noctivagans (Le Conte) Silver-haired Bat
Lasiurus blossevillii (Lesson and Garnot) Western Red Bat
Lasiurus cinereus (Palisot de Beauvois) Hoary Bat
Myotis californicus (Audubon and Bachman) California Myotis
Myotis ciliolabrum (Merriam) Western Small-footed Myotis
Myotis evotis (H. Allen) Western Long-eared Myotis
Myotis keenii (Merriam) Keen's Long-eared Myotis
Myotis lucifugus (Le Conte) Little Brown Myotis
Myotis septentrionalis (Trouessart) Northern Long-eared Myotis
Myotis thysanodes Miller Fringed Myotis
Myotis volans (H. Allen) Long-legged Myotis
Myotis yumanensis (H. Allen) Yuma Myotis
FAMILY OCHOTONIDAE: Pikas
Ochotona princeps (Richardson) Common Pika
FAMILY LEPORIDAE: Hares and Rabbits
Lepus americanus Erxleben Snowshoe Hare
Lepus townsendii Bachman White-tailed Jackrabbit
Sylvilagus nuttallii (Bachman) Nuttall's Cottontail
FAMILY APLODONTIDAE: Mountain Beavers
Aplodontia rufa (Rafinesque) Mountain Beaver
FAMILY SCIURIDAE: Squirrels
Glaucomys sabrinus (Shaw) Northern Flying Squirrel
Marmota caligata (Eschscholtz) Hoary Marmot
Marmota flaviventris (Audubon and Bachman) Yellow-bellied Marmot
Marmota monax (Linnaeus) Woodchuck
Spermophilus columbianus (Ord) Columbian Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus lateralis (Say) Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus parryii (Richardson) Arctic Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus richardsonii (Sabine) Richardsons Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus saturatus (Rhoads) Cascade Mantled Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus tridecemlineatus (Mitchill) Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
Tamias amoenus J. A. Allen Yellow-pine Chipmunk
Tamias minimus Bachman Least Chipmunk
Tamias ruficuaudus (A. H. Howell) Red-tailed Chipmunk
Tamias townsendii Bachman Townsend's Chipmunk
Tamiasciurus douglasii (Bachman) Douglas' Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben) Red Squirrel
FAMILY GEOMYIDAE: Pocket Gophers
Thomomys talpoides (Richardson) Northern Pocket Gopher
FAMILY HETEROMYIDAE: Heteromyids
Perognathus parvus (Peale) Great Basin Pocket Mouse
FAMILY CASTORIDAE: Beavers
Castor canadensis Kuhl Beaver
FAMILY MURIDAE: RATS, MICE, VOLES, AND LEMMINGS
SUBFAMILY ARVICOLINAE: Voles and Lemmings
Clethrionomys gapperi (Vigors) Southern Red-backed Vole
Clethrionomys rutilus (Pallas) Northern red-backed Vole
Lemmiscus curtatus (Cope) Sagebrush Vole
Lemmus sibiricus (Kerr) Brown Lemming
Microtus longicaudus (Merriam) Long-tailed vole
Microtus montanus (Peale) Montane Vole
Microtus oregoni (Bachman) Creeping Vole
Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord) Meadow Vole
Microtus richardsoni (DeKay) Water Vole
Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus) Muskrat
Phenacomys intermedius Merriam Heather Vole
Synaptomys borealis (Richardson) Northern Bog Lemming
SUBFAMILY SIGMODONTINAE: New World Rats and Mice
Neotoma cinerea (Ord) Bushy-tailed Woodrat
Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner) Deer Mouse
Peromyscus keeni (Rhoads) Keen's Mouse
Reithrodontomys megalotis (Baird) Western Harvest Mouse
FAMILY DIPODIDAE: Jumping Mice and Jerboas
Zapus hudsonius (Zimmermann) Meadow Jumping Mouse
Zapus princeps J. A. Allen Western Jumping Mouse
Zapus trinotatus Rhoads Pacific Jumping Mouse
FAMILY ERETHIZONTIDAE: New World Porcupines
Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus) Porcupine
FAMILY CANIDAE: Canids
Canis latrans Say Coyote
Canis lupus Linnaeus Gray Wolf
Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus) Red Fox
FAMILY URSIDAE - Bears
Ursus americanus Pallas Black Bear
Ursus arctos Linnaeus Grizzly Bear
FAMILY PROCYONIDAE - Procyonids
Procyon lotor (Linnaeus) Raccoon
FAMILY MUSTELIDAE - Mustelids
Gulo gulo (Linnaeus) Wolverine
Lontra canadensis (Schreber) River Otter
Martes americana (Turton) Marten
Martes pennanti (Erxleben) Fisher
Mephitis mephitis (Schreber) Striped Skunk
Mustela erminea Linnaeus Ermine
Mustela frenata Lichenstein Long-tailed Weasel
Mustela nivalis Linnaeus Least Weasel
Mustela vison Schreber Mink
Taxidea taxus (Schreber) Badger
FAMILY FELIDAE: Cats
Puma concolor (Linnaeus) Cougar
Lynx canadensis Kerr Lynx
Lynx rufus (Schreber) Bobcat
FAMILY CERVIDAE - Cervids
Alces alces (Linnaeus) Moose
Cervus elaphus Linnaeus Elk
Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque) Mule Deer
Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann) White-tailed Deer
Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus) Caribou
FAMILY BOVIDAE - Bovids
Bison bison (Linnaeus) Bison
Oreamnos americanus (Blainville) Mountain Goat
Ovis canadensis Shaw Bighorn Sheep
Ovis dalli Nelson Thinhorn Sheep