NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Alashan Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus alashanicus Büchner, 1888
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
The Alashan ground squirrel (Spermophilus alashanicus) is a species of squirrel. It is native to China and Mongolia.
This squirrel lives at elevations up to 3200 meters. It lives on the steppe and in foothills and alpine meadows. In China it can be found in desert habitat. It is associated with the plant species Amygdalus pedunculata and A. polyrrhizum.
This species is 22 to 23 centimetres (8.7 to 9.1 in) long. It is brown or gray with a pale underside. In the summer it develops a chestnut wash along the shoulders. Most babies are born in June, with litter sizes ranging from one to nine.
Wikipedia contributors, Alashan ground squirrel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:10:36.802069+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Spermophilus alashanicus Büchner, 1888
- Name authority
- Büchner, 1888
- Common name
- Alashan Ground Squirrel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Spermophilus
- 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
- suborderSciuromorpha Brandt, 1855
- familySciuridae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilyXerinae Osborn, 1910
- tribeMarmotini Pocock, 1923
- genusSpermophilus F. Cuvier, 1825
- speciesSpermophilus alashanicus Büchner, 1888
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Spermophilus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Little Ground SquirrelSpermophilus pygmaeus (Pallas, 1778) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tien Shan Ground SquirrelSpermophilus ralli (Kuznetsov, 1948) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Speckled Ground SquirrelSpermophilus suslicus (Güldenstaedt, 1770) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Taurus Ground SquirrelSpermophilus taurensis Gündüz, Jaarola, Tez, Yeniyurt, Polly, & Searle, 2007 | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-cheeked Ground SquirrelSpermophilus erythrogenys Brandt, 1841 | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Russet Ground SquirrelSpermophilus major (Pallas, 1778) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Relict Ground SquirrelSpermophilus relictus (Kashkarov, 1923) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Asia Minor Ground SquirrelSpermophilus xanthoprymnus (Bennett, 1835) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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=632443 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:4YK9V. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.