Peromyscus dickeyi Burt 1932

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 : 1065

Peromyscus dickeyi Burt 1932

Peromyscus dickeyi Burt 1932 , Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist., 7: 176.

Type Locality: México, Baja California Sur, Tortuga Isl; 27°21'N, 111°54'W.

Vernacular Names: Dickey's Deermouse.

Distribution: Known only from Tortuga Isl.

Conservation: IUCN – Endangered.

Discussion: P. eremicus species group. Genically similar to P. eremicus and P. merriami (Avise et al., 1974) and presumably originated from an eremicus like progenitor ( Lawlor, 1983), but gene sequence data decisively portray mice on Tortuga Isl as derivatives of P. merriami ( Hafner et al., 2001) . The last authors have recommended the recognition of dickeyi as a subspecies of P. merriami . Cranium and fur traits of dickeyi do closely resemble those of P. merriami but the bullae appear smaller and the tail relatively shorter, diagnostic features noted by Burt (1932). A sounder footing for its synonymy and possible subspecific retention should involve broader morphological and molecular surveys within the range of P. merriami , together with the original type series of the island form. See Cortés-Calva and Alvarez-Castañeda (2001, Mammalian Species, 659).