Merriam's pocket gopher

{{Short description|Species of rodent}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Cratogeomys merriami 277936069.png

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. |author2=Lacher, T. |author3=Vázquez, E. |date=2016 |title=Cratogeomys merriami |volume=2016 |page=e.T16028A22217011 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T16028A22217011.en |access-date=16 November 2021}}

| genus = Cratogeomys

| species = merriami

| authority = (Thomas, 1893)

| synonyms = Pappogeomys merriami

| range_map = Cratogeomys merriami range.png

| range_map_caption = Range

}}

Merriam's pocket gopher (Cratogeomys merriami) is a species of rodent in the family Geomyidae.{{MSW3 Geomyidae | id = 12800036 | page = 861}} It is endemic to Mexico, where it is found in the area of the Valley of Mexico and the Valley of Toluca at elevations from 1800 to 4000 m. Its favored habitats are the Zacatonal grassland and temperate pine-oak woodlands, as well as farmland and rangeland. Its karyotype has 2n = 36 and FN = 68.

Until 2005, what are now considered the separate species C. fulvescens and C. perotensis were included within this taxon. They were split off due to clear molecular, chromosomal and morphological differences. All three species are part of the C. castanops species group.{{cite journal|last1= Hafner|first1=M. S.|last2= Light|first2=J. E.|last3= Hafner|first3=D. J.|last4= Brant|first4=S. V.|last5= Spradling|first5=T. A.|last6= Demastes|first6=J. W.|title= Cryptic Species in the Mexican Pocket Gopher Cratogeomys merriami|journal= Journal of Mammalogy|date= 2005|volume= 86|issue= 6|pages= 1095–1108|doi= 10.1644/05-MAMM-A-064R1.1|doi-access=free}}

The species is named after American mammalogist Clinton Hart Merriam.{{Cite book | last1 = Beolens | first1 = B. | last2 = Watkins | first2 = M. | last3 = Grayson | first3= M. | title = The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals | publisher = The Johns Hopkins University Press | date = 2009-09-28 | page = 272 | url = http://google.com/books?id=I-kSmWLc6vYC&pg=PA272 | isbn = 978-0801893049| oclc = 270129903}}

Although its distribution is patchy, it is not thought to be threatened.