Notocitellus

Notocitellus is a genus of ground squirrel, named by A. H. Howell in 1938, containing two species found only in Mexico: the tropical ground squirrel (Notocitellus adocetus) and the ring-tailed ground squirrel (Notocitellus annulatus). The genus was formerly placed within the large ground squirrel genus Spermophilus as a subgenus or species group. DNA sequencing of the cytochrome b gene showed that Spermophilus was paraphyletic in relation to marmots, antelope squirrels and prairie dogs, leading to Notocitellus being separated as its own genus in 2009. The exact evolutionary relationships of the genus remain unclear, though a possible connection to the antelope squirrels has been suggested.