The Present Status of Systematic Mammalogy in Iowa with Some Notes on Recent Mammal Collecting Within the State

Authors

Lowell S. Miller, Davenport Public Museum

Document Type

Research

Abstract

In this short discussion the author will try to explore the present status of systematic mammalogy in this state and will show by his own trapping results that there is a great deal of work yet to be done. Thomas G. Scott (1937) published a paper entitled "Mammals of Iowa" in the Iowa State College Journal of Science. In the introduction he implies that the purpose of the paper is to stimulate interest in the systematics of mammals in Iowa. In searching through the recent literature on the subject the author has come to the conclusion that it did not stimulate interest and there has consequently been a dearth of information published since. There have been only 4 or possibly 5 additions to the faunal list since 1937. There have been a few name changes and some sub-specific splitting of inclusive species, mostly by workers in other states. This splitting has resulted, in some cases in the fact that Iowa has within its borders the intergradation zone for two subspecies named in the states east and west or north and south. There is at the present time at least 16 species of mammals which have two or more subspecies coming together in Iowa. Most of these divide the state east and west i.e., Cinereous, Shrew, Mole, Mink, Muskrat, Pocket Gopher, and Striped Skunk, but a few divide the state north and south, i.e., Red Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Long Tail Weasel, and Lemming Mouse. The approximate geographic distributions of these animals can only be determined by actual specimen gathering from the area covered by their distribution.

Publication Date

1954

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

61

Issue

1

First Page

556

Last Page

560

Copyright

©1954 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Miller, Lowell S. (1954) "The Present Status of Systematic Mammalogy in Iowa with Some Notes on Recent Mammal Collecting Within the State," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 61(1), 556-560.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol61/iss1/75