Tropical ground squirrel

The tropical ground squirrel (Notocitellus adocetus) is a rodent of the squirrel family, Sciuridae, endemic to Mexico, where it is known locally as the cuinique. Clinton Hart Merriam described it in 1903 as Spermophilus adocetus, and when Helgen divided Spermophilus into eight genera in 2009 it was placed in Notocitellus beside the ring-tailed ground squirrel. It is smaller than that relative, with rounder ears, a shorter and broader snout, paler colouring and an unringed tail. Its cinnamon brown fur is mixed with many black hairs, and the head, upper back and bushy tail are darker than the rest of the coat. It lives in arid rocky canyons and cliffs with sparse vegetation and in deciduous woodland, mostly in the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt at altitudes up to about 3,000 metres. It is a social, diurnal burrower that feeds mainly on seeds and fruits, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature rates it Least Concern.