What is "eutamias"

Eutamias is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It includes a single living species, the Siberian chipmunk (Eutamias sibiricus). The genus is often treated as a subgenus of Tamias, which is now restricted to the eastern chipmunk of North America. Neotamias, which now includes the western North American chipmunks, has also been included in Eutamias.

In addition to the Siberian chipmunk, several fossil species have been assigned to this genus:

• Eutamias ertemtensis Qiu, 1991 – late Miocene to Pliocene of China
• Eutamias lishanensis Qiu et al., 2008 – late Miocene of China
• Eutamias orlovi Sulimski, 1964 – Pliocene of Poland and Bulgaria
• Eutamias sihongensis Qiu and Long, 1986 – early Miocene of China; subsequently made the type species of a separate genus Heterotamias.
• Eutamias wimani (Young, 1927) – Pleistocene of China

Other chipmunks described from Eurasia include:

• Tamias allobrogensis Mein and Ginsburg, 2002 – Miocene of France
• Tamias atsali De Bruijn, 1995 – Pliocene of Greece
• Tamias eviensis De Bruijn et al., 1980 – Miocene of Greece

Tamias urialis Munthe, 1980, described from the Miocene of Pakistan, may be more closely related to Tamiops.