GENETIC DIVERSITY WITHIN THE LLANO POCKET GOPHER, GEOMYS TEXENSIS

Abstract Geomys texensis, the Llano pocket gopher, consists of 3 subspecies, all identified using classical morphological methods. Enzymatic studies have found little support for the existence of one of these subspecies (G. t. llanensis); however, it continues to be recognized regularly today. To clarify the subspecific status of members within this species, we have sequenced the entire 1,140 base pairs of the cytochrome b gene for 25 individuals collected from throughout the range of the species. Our data refute the designation of 1 of the 3 currently recognized subspecies and allude to the existence of a new, as yet unnamed subspecies.