| Robust cottontail | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| S. holzneri in theChiricahua Mountains | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Sylvilagus |
| Species: | S. holzneri |
| Binomial name | |
| Sylvilagus holzneri (Mearns, 1896) | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
 | |
| Range of subspeciesS. h. robustus | |
| Synonyms | |
Sylvilagus cognatusNelson, 1907 | |
TheDavis Mountains cottontail,robust cottontail orHolzner's cottontail (Sylvilagus holzneri) is a species ofcottontail rabbit native to high-altitude regions of the southwesternUnited States and westernMexico.[2]
This species and the subspecies comprising it were long considered to be subspecies of theeastern cottontail (S. floridanus), but were promoted to species level due to morphological analysis.[3][4] Genetic data have confirmed the uniqueness ofS. holzneri.[5]S. holzneri andS. floridanus are distinguished primarily by size, dental, and cranial differences.
According to genetic analysis, there are threesubspecies ofS. holzneri:[3]
All three of these were previously considered subspecies ofS. floridanus. One (robustus) was already resurrected as a distinct species in 1998, and was considered as such until being reclassified as a subspecies of the newly-resurrectedholzneri in 2021, with the common name "robust cottontail" carrying over toholzneri.[2][6]
TheManzano Mountain cottontail (S. cognatus) was a species ofSylvilagus also previously classified inS. floridanus, until it was later reclassified as a distinct species. This species was thought to be restricted to theManzano Mountains in New Mexico, where it occurs inconiferous forests in high elevation, and was classified asEndangered by theIUCN Red List. However, a 2021 phylogenetic analysis foundS. cognatus to be indistinguishable fromS. h. holzneri and synonymized it withholzneri. This classification was followed by theAmerican Society of Mammalogists.[3][2]
S. holzneri typically averages a total length of 42 cm, and weighs between 1.3 and 1.8 kg.[7] It is restricted to dry, brushy, mountains at elevations above 1500 meters.[7]
Despite the rarity ofS. h. robustus, currently no governmental agency provides protection or listing for this subspecies.[1]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)