Historical Biogeography of the Least Weasel in Kansas

Abstract

The existence of the least weasel in northernmost Kansas was not documented until 1965. More recent records indicate that the species is dispersing southward in eastern and central regions of the state. Initially its distribution in Kansas apparently was associated with riparian habitats along the floodplain of the Kansas River System, but one recent record suggests the species has moved southward into the watershed of the Neosho River. Dispersal of least weasels might occur during periods of high population density. The least weasel (ustela nivalis campestris), although widely distributed in southern Nebraska (Jones, 1964:277-278), was not recorded from Kansas until 1965. Since that time, the species has become relatively abundant in northern Kansas and has dispersed southward. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the historical biogeography of the least weasel in Kansas and to speculate regarding future patterns of dispersal. Specimens examined for this study are housed in the Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas (KU), and the Museum of the High Plains, Fort Hays State University (MHP). Hall (1955:246) was the first to assert that diminutive weasel [M. nivalis] almost certainly occurs in north-central Kansas. Jones and Cortner (1965:247) noted that the species long had been rumored to occur in areas bordering the Blue and Republican rivers in north-central Kansas, and that the species was known from nearby counties in southern Nebraska (Velich, 1956:272; Jones, 1964:277-278). The first authenticated record of the least weasel in Kansas was reported by Jones and Cortner (1965:247) based on a specimen trapped on the floodplain of the Blue River in Marshall County. Subsequent reports documented the presence of A>. nivalis in northernmost 1 Present address: Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.215 on Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:41:03 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 232 TRANSACTIONS OF THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES