Jones' pocket gopher

Open encyclopedia reference

Knox Jones's pocket gopher (Geomys knoxjonesi) is a species of pocket gopher found in Texas and New Mexico. This species is named for Dr. J. Knox Jones Jr. (1929–1992), a prolific mammalogist at Texas Tech University. It is a relatively small gopher, with a total length of about 24 cm (9.4 in), including an 8 cm (3.1 in) tail, and weighing from 160 to 185 g (5.6 to 6.5 oz). Males are slightly larger than females. It has a typical gopher-like body, with large, clawed, forelimbs, small eyes and ears, and a fur-lined cheek pouches. The fur is buff-brown fur and fades to white on the belly and feet. It is visually indistinguishable from the plains pocket gopher, and was formerly considered to be a subspecies of that animal, before being raised to full species status in 1989 on the basis of genetic differences. Knox Jones's pocket gopher is found in the central western regions of Texas, roughly between the counties of Ward, Martin, and Cochran, and in southeastern New Mexico as far as Chaves County.

Wikipedia contributors, Knox Jones's pocket gopher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:39:58.997801+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Geomys knoxjonesi Baker & Genoways, 1975

Name authority

Baker & Genoways, 1975

Common name

Jones' pocket gopher

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Geomyidae

Genus

Geomys

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
12. suborderCastorimorpha A. E. Wood, 1955
13. familyGeomyidae Bonaparte, 1845
14. subfamilyGeomyinae Bonaparte, 1845
15. tribeGeomyini Bonaparte, 1845
16. genusGeomys Rafinesque, 1817
17. speciesGeomys knoxjonesi Baker & Genoways, 1975

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Geomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 32 records assigned to Geomyidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=552518 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3FQC3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.