NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Sand Hills Pocket Gopher
Geomys lutescens Merriam, 1890
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Geomys lutescens, also known as the Sand Hills pocket gopher, is a species of pocket gopher native to the western United States (Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, and Nebraska). It is a fossorial rodent that inhabits the Mississippi basin. The common name is derived from the type locality of Sand Hills.
Wikipedia contributors, Geomys lutescens; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:39:53.571668+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Geomys lutescens Merriam, 1890
- Name authority
- Merriam, 1890
- Common name
- Sand Hills 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderCastorimorpha A. E. Wood, 1955
- familyGeomyidae Bonaparte, 1845
- subfamilyGeomyinae Bonaparte, 1845
- tribeGeomyini Bonaparte, 1845
- genusGeomys Rafinesque, 1817
- speciesGeomys lutescens Merriam, 1890
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Geomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hall's Pocket GopherGeomys jugossicularis Hooper, 1940 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jones' pocket gopherGeomys knoxjonesi Baker & Genoways, 1975 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Texas Pocket GopherGeomys personatus True, 1889 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Strecker's Pocket GopherGeomys streckeri Davis, 1943 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Central Texas Pocket GopherGeomys texensis Merriam, 1895 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Desert Pocket GopherGeomys arenarius Merriam, 1895 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Attwater's Pocket GopherGeomys attwateri Merriam, 1895 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Baird's Pocket GopherGeomys breviceps Baird, 1855 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plains Pocket GopherGeomys bursarius (Shaw, 1800) | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| South-eastern Pocket GopherGeomys pinetis Rafinesque, 1817 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tropical Pocket GopherGeomys tropicalis Goldman, 1915 | GeomyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Geomys bursarius lutescens Merriam, 1890 Merriam, 1890 | synonym |
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.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=900196 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:3FQC4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.