Peromyscus merriami Mearns 1896

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Cricetidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 955-1189 : 1074

Peromyscus merriami Mearns 1896

Peromyscus merriami Mearns 1896 , Preliminary diagnosis of new mammals from the Mexican border of the United States: 2; preprint of Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus ., 19: 138.

Type Locality: México, Sonora, Sonoyta, on Sonoyta River.

Vernacular Names: Merriam's Deermouse.

Synonyms: Peromyscus goldmani Osgood 1904 .

Distribution: SC Arizona, USA, through W Sonora to C Sinaloa, México.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: P. eremicus species group. Osgood (1909) placed merriami under P. eremicus , a synonymy overturned by Hoffmeister and Lee (1963 a), who documented their sympatric occurrence and morphological differentiation. Geographic variation evaluated by Hoffmeister and Diersing (1973), who retained goldmani as a subspecies; Lawlor (1971 b) did not. Generally related to to P. eremicus sensu lato (Avise et al., 1974; Lawlor, 1971 a) and to P. pembertoni ( Lawlor, 1971 a, 1983); based on mitochondrial DNA sequences, viewed as cognate species to P. eremicus sensu stricto, which together form a sister group to the clade of P. eva and P. fraterculus ( Riddle et al., 2000 a, c). Includes the insular form dickeyi according to mitochondrial DNA ( COIII) comparisons ( Hafner et al., 2001).