Evolution of the Chipmunk Genera Eutamias and Tamias

Abstract

Experiments using the immunological technique of micro-complement fixation indicate that chipmunks diverged from the tree squirrel lineage during the Oligocene. Three chipmunk lineages (Tamias, Eutamias: Neotamias, and Eutamias: Eutamias) have been distinct since the late Miocene. Fossil, morphological, karyotypic, and other immunological data are discussed and shown to agree with our conclusions on relationships of these three lineages.