Peromyscus mekisturus, Merriam, 1898

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Cricetidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 204-535 : 384

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6707142

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6707522

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F06D13-FFC4-200D-0884-17D1018FF75B

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Peromyscus mekisturus
status

 

270. View Plate 17: Cricetidae

Puebla Deermouse

Peromyscus mekisturus View in CoL

French: Péromyscus du Puebla / German: Puebla-Hirschmaus / Spanish: Raton ciervo de Puebla

Taxonomy. Peromyscus mekisturus Merriam, 1898 View in CoL , Chalchicomula, 8400 ft (= 2560 m), Puebla, Mexico.

Peromyscus mekisturus is in the melanophrys species group. Recent molecular data questions whether P. mekisturus is a valid taxon or a subspecies of P. melanophrys . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Chalchicomula (= Ciudad Serdan) and Tehuacan in SE Puebla, Mexico. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body 87-94 mm, tail 135-155 mm, ear 17-19 mm, hindfoot 22-24 m; weight 25-58 g. The Puebla Deermouse is similar in morphology to the Plateau Deermouse (FP. melanophrys ), except that the Puebla Deermouse has an extraordinarily long (c.160% of head—body length) and bicolored tail (dark and light below). Dorsum of the Puebla Deermouse is ocherous buffy to tawny, sprinkled with dusky hairs. Venter is creamy white, with plumbeous bases of hairs. It lacks darker dorsal line and longitudinal line. Nose is gray, eyes are ringed with black, and ears are large. Forefeet are white, and upper two-thirds of metatarsals are dark, but distal parts are white; feet are of averagesize.

Habitat. Pine-oak forests at elevations of 1700-2545 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Puebla Deermouse is presumably nocturnal, and given its exceptionally long tail, it is probably arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Castaneda-Rico et al. (2014), Castro-Campillo, Martinez-Paz & Ramirez-Pulido (2014), Goldman (1951), Hall (1981), Hooper (1947), Merriam (1898), Musser & Carleton (2005), Osgood (1909).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Cricetidae

Genus

Peromyscus

Loc

Peromyscus mekisturus

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr 2017
2017
Loc

Peromyscus mekisturus

Merriam 1898
1898
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