Introductory
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Lepus californicus | Black-Tailed Jackrabbit 



ABBREVIATION : 
LECA

COMMON NAMES : 
   black-tailed jackrabbit


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of black-tailed jackrabbit is
Lepus californicus Gray (Leporidae) [13,15,23,24,42].  Seventeen
subspecies are recognized:

L. c. altamirae Nelson [13,42]
L. c. asellus Miller [13,42]      
L. c. bennettii Gray* [42]
L. c. californicus Gray* [13,24,42]
L. c. curti Hall [42]
L. c. deserticola Mearns* [13,24,42]
L. c. ememicus J. A. Allen* [24,42]
L. c. festinus Nelson [13,42]
L. c. magdalenae Nelson [13,42]
L. c. martirensis Stowell [42]
L. c. melanotis Mearns* [13,24,42]
L. c. merriamai Mearns* [13,42]
L. c. richardsonii Bachman* [13,24,42]
L. c. sheldoni Burt [13,42]
L. c. texianus Waterhouse* [13,24,42]
L. c. wallawalla Merriam* [13,24,42]
L. c. xanti Thomas [13,42]

*occurs north of Mexico [24]

Flux [31] noted that the number of black-tailed jackrabbit subspecies
recognized may be excessive.  Using cluster analysis of anatomical
characters, Dixon and others [23] found that black-tailed jackrabbit
subspecies separated into two distinct groups that are geographically
separated west and east of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Colorado
River.  They suggested only two infrataxa are warranted:  the western
subspecies L. c. californicus and the eastern subspecies L. c.
texianus.

Black-tailed jackrabbit and white-tailed jackrabbit (L. townsendii)
produce hybrid offspring in Utah [31].


ORDER : 
Lagomorpha

CLASS : 
Mammal

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
See OTHER STATUS

OTHER STATUS : 
Lepus californicus bennettii is federally classified as a Category 2
subspecies [71].


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
C. Bushey, 1986


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
Janet L. Howard, July 1995


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Howard, Janet L. 1995; Bushey, C. 1986. Lepus californicus. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Lepus californicus | Black-Tailed Jackrabbit