New distributional records of the red squirrel ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus ) in western New Mexico and evidence for its extirpation from the Zuni Mountains

In the American Southwest, the red squirrel ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus ) occurs as disjunct populations in coniferous forests on mountaintops. There is a paucity of information concerning the species’ distribution and habitat in western New Mexico. I report new records that document and verify the occurrence of red squirrels in additional montane areas in west central New Mexico, including the Mangas Mountains, Canovas Rim, Turner Mountain, Tularosa Mountains, Elk Mountains, Bearwallow Mountain, and Pinos Altos Mountains. I also report observations of red squirrels from an atypical habitat—low-elevation riparian forests. These new records suggest that the geographic distribution of the species in west central New Mexico is broader than indicated by existing records. However, I also document the apparent extirpation of red squirrels from the Zuni Mountains in northwestern New Mexico. The red squirrel is one of several avian and mammalian species associated with mixed coniferous forests that have become extirpated in this mountain range.     

Genetics of allopatric populations of the montane vole ( Microtus montanus ) and Mogollon vole ( Microtus mogollonensis ) in the American Southwest

Variation at 21 allozyme loci and 10 restriction enzymes within the mitochondrial DNA control region was assessed among 3 allopatric populations of montane vole ( Microtus montanus ) in the American Southwest. Among populations of M. montanus , the population from the White Mountains, Arizona, was most genetically divergent. Genetic and biogeographic evidence supported recognition of the White Mountains population as a distinct subspecies, M. m. arizonensis . Results also supported recognition of the Mogollon vole ( Microtus mogollonensis ) as distinct from the Mexican vole ( Microtus mexicanus ).     

Effects of dwarf mistletoe on spruce in the White Mountains, Arizona

Mortality of spruce in mixed conifer stands moderately to heavily infested with western spruce dwarf mistletoe was two to five times greater than in healthy stands in the White Mountains, Arizona. Ten-year volume growth loss for heavily infected spruce trees ranged from 25% to 40%. Estimates of growth loss for spruce on a stand basis ranged from 10% to 20% in heavily infested stands. Because western spruce dwarf mistletoe is prevalent in the White Mountains and causes increased mortality and reduced growth, its control should be included in management of mixed conifer stands there.     

There is no valid record of cliff chipmunk ( Tamias dorsalis ) in the Sandia Mountains, New Mexico

In the American Southwest, the red squirrel ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus ) occurs as disjunct populations in coniferous forests on mountaintops. There is a paucity of information concerning the species’ distribution and habitat in western New Mexico. I report new records that document and verify the occurrence of red squirrels in additional montane areas in west central New Mexico, including the Mangas Mountains, Canovas Rim, Turner Mountain, Tularosa Mountains, Elk Mountains, Bearwallow Mountain, and Pinos Altos Mountains. I also report observations of red squirrels from an atypical habitat—low-elevation riparian forests. These new records suggest that the geographic distribution of the species in west central New Mexico is broader than indicated by existing records. However, I also document the apparent extirpation of red squirrels from the Zuni Mountains in northwestern New Mexico. The red squirrel is one of several avian and mammalian species associated with mixed coniferous forests that have become extirpated in this mountain range.     

Soil-site relationships of white locoweed on the Raft River Mountains

White locoweed ( Oxytropis sericea Nutt.) is restricted to the top and windswept ridges of the Raft River Mountains. Elevation and soil characteristics have the greatest effect on its occurrence. It is most abundant on the subalpine windswept ridge ecological site (9.2 plants/m 2 ) above 2,380 m. White locoweed apparently can tolerate the extreme environmental stresses of the shallow, rocky, windswept ridges where it is one of the dominant species. White locoweed also occurs in the deep, subalpine loam site (3.8 plants/m 2 ) above 2,865 m, but it is a minor component of this plant community. It is apparently less competitive on the deeper soils, and its population fluctuates more. It exhibits an opportunistic survival strategy on the subalpine loam site by having a large reserve of viable seeds in the soil ready to germinate and establish when environmental conditions are favorable, and then declines with competition from more robust species.     

Bats of the White and Inyo Mountains of California-nevada

We surveyed bats throughout the White and Inyo Mountains of California and Nevada. From December 1990 to November 1996, we surveyed hibernating bats, and foraging bats from June 1992 to September 1996. The White-Inyo Range rests in a unique biogeographical junction between the Sierra Nevada, Mojave Desert, and Great Basin Regions. Elevational gradients of 305-4340 m, combined with limited human development, further enhance the interest of natural history and faunal distributions in this range. We found 13 bat species in the course of 2668 observations. Three of these species, the spotted bat ( Euderma maculatum ), silver-haired bat ( Lasionycteris noctivagans ), and hoary bat ( Lasturus cinereus ), have no previous records from the White-Inyo Range. We found bats in all vegetation zones except alpine, 3500-4342 m. Despite an abundance of mines in this range, only Townsend's big-eared bat ( Corynorhinus townsendii ) and western small-footed myotis ( Myotis ciliolabrum ) used them routinely. Our data also indicated the importance of surface water to bat populations in arid regions.     

Checklist of the Odonata of Colorado

One hundred and one species of Odonata are recorded for Colorado, including 58 species of Anisoptera (of which 4 are new state records) and 43 Zygoptera (9 new state records). County records are indicated for each. Three major elements are recognized; predominantly eastern species occurring in the plains and mountain valleys east of the Rocky Mountains, Canadian Zone elements occurring principally above 2,440 m (8,000 ft) in the mountains, and Great Basin and western species occurring chiefly west of the mountains. The list is based primarily on the collections at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado, with additional records from the literature and from other collections.     

New records of western Trichoptera with notes on their biology

Western records for 27 species of Trichoptera are given; a majority of the records are from the Beartooth Mountains of northwestern Wyoming. In addition, examples of variation in the male genitilia of Limnephilus coloradensis (Banks) are figured and the female is described. Some comments regarding the larvae of Allomyia ( Imania ) are presented.     

Bristlecone pine and Clark's Nutcracker: probable interaction in the White Mountains, California

Many bristlecone pines in the White Mountains, California, are members of multistem clumps. We propose that these clumps have arisen by multiple germinations from seed caches of Clark’s Nutcracker, as occurs in several other pine species. The commonness of nutcrackers and their caching of singleleaf pinyon seeds in the study area provide supporting evidence. Other vertebrates appear unlikely to be responsible for the stem clumps. Seed burial may be required to establish regeneration on these adverse sites where bristlecone pine attains great longevity.        

Invasion of big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) by white fir ( Abies concolor ) on the southeastern slopes of the Warner Mountains, California

White fir ( Abies concolor ) appears to be invading vegetation dominated by big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) on the southeastern slopes of the Warner Mountains of extreme northeastern California. The time of initial tree establishment within the shrubs was determined by increment borings. Possible causes of the invasion involving specific climatic conditions, fire history, and grazing use of the area during years of the establishment were explored. Heavy grazing by domestic livestock, particularly sheep, appears responsible for altering the sagebrush - grass vegetation and allowing tree invasion.     

Karyotypes of the long-tailed vole ( Microtus longicaudus ) in isolated mountain ranges of the American Southwest

The long-tailed vole ( Microtus longicaudus ) exhibits karyotypic variation in western North America. In the American Southwest, the species has a disjunct, relict distribution. However, karyotypes obtained from 20 specimens in 5 isolated mountain ranges (White Mountains, Arizona; Mount Taylor and the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, and Mogollon mountains, New Mexico) exhibited no variation. These and previously reported karyotypes from the region had a diploid number (2n) of 56 and fundamental number (FN) of 84, which is the most commonly reported karyotype for the species.     

Capture locations of two endangered rodents during a 1902 exploration of the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico

We investigated localities from which Eutamias atristriatus Bailey, 1913 (= Tamias minimus atristriatus ) and Zapus luteus Miller, 1911 (= Zapus hudsonius luteus ) were collected during a 1902 survey in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, by the United States Biological Survey. The locality from which the holotype of Eutamias atristriatus was collected is restricted to James Canyon rather than the Rio Pe?asco. Locality records indicate that the historical distribution of Zapus hudsonius luteus and its obligate wetland habitat were broader than currently realized.     

First Pleistocene jumping mouse ( Zapus , Zapodinae, Rodentia) from Utah

Two of the Little Dell Dam fossil localities produced the 1st Pleistocene records of the jumping mouse Zapus from Utah. We describe these teeth in detail and compare their morphology with both extinct and extant jumping mouse taxa. Although it is not possible to confidently assign these specimens to a particular species, the Little Dell Dam fossils are clearly distinct from the only living jumping mouse ( Zapus princeps ) currently known from Utah. The paracone is attached to the rest of the occlusal surface of the upper 1st and 2nd molars in modern Z. princeps from Utah; the paracone is isolated in the molars from Little Dell Dam. The fossils from Little Dell Dam are the 1st reported records of Pleistocene Zapus west of the Rocky Mountains.     

The role of dietary fiber in dung size of bushy-tailed woodrats, Neotoma cinerea : its potential application to paleoclimatic interpretation

A laboratory study was conducted to examine causes underlying variation in woodrat dung size. Eight bushy-tailed woodrats, Neotoma cinerea , were captured and sequentially fed 2 diets of 46% and 63% neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Dung pellets were collected for 2 days following 7 days of acclimation to each diet. Length and width of oven-dried pellets ranged, respectively, from 8.3 to 10.2 mm and 3.2 to 4.9 mm for diet 1, and 8.9 to 12.4 mm and 3.6 to 4.7 mm for diet 2. Body weight ranged from 232.0 to 504.5 g and did not significantly affect dung size. A series of 2-factor analyses of variance with repeated measures and sequential Bonferroni tests was used to assess the effect of dietary fiber consumption on dung size. An increase in fiber intake led to a significant increase in dung length and dry dung weight but not dung width or body weight. Results suggest a relationship between dung length in prehistoric woodrat middens and changing climate, although the relationship is not clearly understood and needs further evaluation.     

Status of the northern rock deermouse, Peromyscus nasutus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), in Utah

Peromyscus nasutus has been considered to occur in Utah since it was first reported in the state in 1935. Authors since then have considered the distribution of P. nasutus to include southeastern Utah. However, the original Utah specimen was later reidentified as Peromyscus boylii . A query of museums revealed only 1 other specimen considered to be P. nasutus from Utah. This specimen was examined and found to be P. boylii . Thus, there is no evidence of the occurrence of P. nasutus in Utah, and the northwesternmost accepted records of this species are in the Chuska Mountains of northeastern Arizona.     

Climates of fescue grasslands of mountains in the western United States

Climates of fescue grasslands were described by summarizing USDC Weather Bureau records of representative sites. Mean temperatures of the warmest month declined from 18 to 14 C, average annual precipitation increased from 40–50 to 170 cm, and the number of arid months in an arbitrarily defined dry year declined from 3 to 1–2 as one moves from Festuca arizonica (14 stations) to F. scabrella (15) to F. idahoensis (17) to F. thurberi (6) to F. viridula (9). Climates of the grasslands are sufficiently like those of the Pseudotsuga menziesii and Abies lasiocarpa zones of the northern Rocky Mountains to make one ask what factors—wind, snow duration, soil characteristics, or fire—allow the fescue grasslands to persist in a conifer climatic zone.     

A preliminary survey of the insect fauna of the Hajar Mountain Range,Oman

The Hajar Mountain Range of Northern Oman is an important centre of species endemism, and of biogeographical interest as a crossroads between the Afrotropical and Palaearctic regions. Despite this, the invertebrate fauna of the region is largely unknown, with very little dedicated research or surveys having been undertaken until now. Here we present the invertebrate species collected and identified from five different survey locations within the Hajar Mountains. This preliminary checklist contains 296 records, of which 36 are new records for Oman. Our surveys also discovered two new species of ant: Lepisiota omanensis collected from Jebel Qahwan Reserve and at the base of Jebel Akhdar, and Anochetus annetteae from Hibra Village in the Nakhl Region.     

Nesting phenology and productivity of birds in the White and Inyo Mountains, California, as assessed with nest-boxes

Nest-boxes were monitored from 1988 to 1992 on 5 grids in the pinyon-juniper ( Pinus-Juniperus ) woodlands of the White and Inyo Mountains, California, to determine breeding phenology and productivity of cavity-nesting birds, and characteristics of used and non-used nest-boxes. We found a total of 112 nests of 6 species. Bewicks Wrens ( Thryomanes bewicki i; 64 nests), Mountain Chickadees ( Poecile gambeli ; 18), Ash-throated Flycatchers ( Myiarchus cinerascens ; 12), and Juniper Titmice ( Baeolophus ridgwayi ; 11) were the most common species utilizing the boxes. Nest phenology and numbers of young were similar to values reported elsewhere in the literature for the species, although nesting success for Mountain Chickadees appeared lower in our study. Chickadees were associated with relatively dense, mature vegetation on southern slopes. Juniper Titmice used areas with tall juniper shrubs and generally sparse vegetation. Bewicks Wrens used areas with short trees, sparse vegetation, and many stumps. Nest-boxes were underutilized (< 15% use) by most species relative to their availability and relative to detected abundances of the species. We suggest that nest-boxes can provide valuable breeding biology information and can potentially increase the productivity of rare and cavity-limited species.     

Fate and characteristics of Picea damaged by Elatobium abietinum (Walker) (Homoptera: Aphididae) in the White Mountains of Arizona

Spruce aphid, Elatobium abietinum (Walker), is a new invasive pest in high-elevation forests of southwestern USA. Plots in the White Mountains of Arizona were evaluated over several years to assess the extent and severity of damage in high-elevation forests and to identify tree and site characteristics associated with defoliation and mortality. Large areas were defoliated in each of 4 recent outbreaks. Impact from a single defoliation episode included an overall mortality of 10.3% to Picea engelmannii Parry, 24%-41% in severely defoliated trees. Defoliation severity was much greater on P. engelmannii than on P. pungens Engelm. and was more severe in the lower canopy layers. Retention of foliage in the upper-crown third of individual trees was a critical factor in tree survivorship. Mortality was associated with defoliation severity and severe infection by Arceuthobium microcarpum (Engelmann) Hawksworth & Wiens. Picea pungens was much more susceptible to A. microcarpum more than was P. engelmannii . The combined effects of high levels of defoliation and mistletoe infection were lethal, resulting in almost 70% mortality. Mortality continued to occur at 3 years after defoliation. This aphid will affect natural disturbance regimes and tree population dynamics in mixed-conifer and spruce-fir forests of the American Southwest.     

Zoogeographic affinities of the stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Raft River Mountains, Utah

We examined faunal affinities of the Raft River Mountains using stoneflies (Plecoptera) as indicators. This island-like mountain range is isolated from other major mountain ranges in the Intermountain West by low-elevation, arid regions. Thirty-seven species were recorded from collections from 19 sites in the Raft River Mountains. Cluster analysis demonstrated the Raft River Mountain stonefly assemblage to be most similar to faunas of the Sawtooth and Wasatch mountains, and quite different from that of the Sierra Nevada. An analysis of the distribution patterns of each species, on a family-by-family basis, showed that the Raft River Mountains fauna consists mostly of species widespread in western North America. Most families were represented by at least 1 species whose distribution supports faunal affinities with regions to the north and west. Logistic regression of 6 long-distance dispersal factors against stonefly presence-absence data did not support long-distance dispersal as a viable means of colonization for the Raft River Mountains. This suggest that stonefly distribution patterns may be attributed to expansion and subsequent vicariance of suitable stonefly habitats during Pleistocene climatic oscillations.