Mexican spiny pocket mouse

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Mexican spiny pocket mouse
Heteromys irroratus texensis.jpg
Heteromys irroratus texensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Heteromyidae
Genus: Heteromys
Species:
H. irroratus
Binomial name
Heteromys irroratus
J. E. Gray, 1868
Heteromys irroratus distribution map.png

The Mexican spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys irroratus) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. [2] It is native to Mexico and Texas in the United States where it is found in dry, scrubby habitats. The IUCN has assessed it as being of "least concern". It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys . [3]

Contents

Description

There are seven subspecies of Mexican spiny pocket mouse and there is considerable differences in color and size between different populations. In general it is a medium-sized member of its genus Heteromys , growing to a head and body length of about 12 cm (4.7 in) with a tail of about the same length. The pelage is composed of a mixture of stiff spines with soft hairs, but because the hairs lie flat, the spines are the more noticeable part of the coat. The upper parts of the head and body are greyish-brown and the underparts whitish. There is a pinkish or buff lateral line separating the two colors. Juveniles are grey and initially lack spines which grow through the coat later. The soles of the feet are haired and the Mexican spiny pocket mouse is unique in its genus in possessing five rather than six tubercles on the hind foot. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The Mexican spiny pocket mouse is endemic to parts of Texas and Mexico. Its range extends from just north of the Rio Grande southwards to the Mexican Plateau, its southernmost limit being Zapotitlán in the state of Oaxaca. It is found in dry shrubland at altitudes of up to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). In regions where their ranges overlap, it occurs in drier, upland habitats than the painted spiny pocket mouse (Liomys pictus). It is not normally present in areas with less than 50 centimetres (20 in) of annual rainfall. [4]

Parasites

The Mexican spiny pocket mouse is parasitized by the mouse botfly, Cuterebra fontinella . [5]

Behavior

Four different methods of locomotion are used by the Mexican spiny pocket mouse. The fastest is a kangaroo-like leaping gait, during which the mouse can cover 1.5 metres (5 feet) in a second. [4] This pocket mouse is nocturnal and spends the day in a burrow, the entrance of which may be covered with leaves or an earth mound. The diet consists largely of seeds, particularly of hackberry (Celtis sp.), mesquite and other trees and shrubs. These are stored in cheek pouches and carried back to the burrow. [1] In laboratory studies it was found that this pocket mouse was unable to maintain its body weight unless it had access to water. Reproduction takes place during much of the year but seems to peak between August and November. Litter sizes range from two to eight with four young being typical. [4]

Status

The Mexican spiny pocket mouse has a wide range and is common in suitable habitats within that range. The population size seems to be stable and no particular threats have been identified so the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heteromyidae</span> Family of rodents

Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within the genus Heteromys are also found in forests and their range extends as far south as northern South America. They feed mostly on seeds and other plant parts, which they carry in their fur-lined cheek pouches to their burrows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perognathinae</span> Subfamily of rodents

Perognathinae is a subfamily of rodents consisting of two genera of pocket mice. Most species live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, They feed mostly on seeds and other plant parts, which they carry in their fur-lined cheek pouches to their burrows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little desert pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The little desert pocket mouse is a species of small rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to Baja California in Mexico.

The narrow-skulled pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to western Mexico, living west of the Sierra Madre Occidental crest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson's pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

Nelson's pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Mexico and in New Mexico and Texas in United States. It is named in honor of the American naturalist Edward William Nelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae and order Rodentia. It is found in Baja California in Mexico and in Arizona, California and Nevada.

<i>Heteromys</i> Genus of rodents

Heteromys is a genus of rodents in the family Heteromyidae, commonly known as spiny pocket mice. It is the only extant genus in the subfamily Heteromyinae which also includes the extinct genera Diprionomys and Metaliomys. Heteromys was recently enlarged by inclusion of the members of formerly recognized heteromyine genus Liomys, which was found to be paraphyletic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson's spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of mouse

Nelson's spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Mexico and Guatemala. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panamanian spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Panamanian spiny pocket mouse, also known as Peter's spiny pocket mouse, is a species of heteromyid rodent endemic to Panama. It is very closely related to Salvin's spiny pocket mouse, and has been placed in the same species group by some authors. It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The painted spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Mexico and the northern tip of Guatemala. It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvin's spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

Salvin's spiny pocket mouse is a small to medium-sized rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys.

The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse is a species of heteromyid rodent endemic to Mexico. The specific name spectabilis means "striking", and refers to the animal's relatively bright coloration. It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys.

The dark kangaroo mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silky pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The silky pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in northern and central Mexico and the southwest region of the United States. It is a species of least concern, according to the IUCN, with no known major threats. The silky pocket mouse eats seeds, succulent parts of plants and nuts, and carries food in its cheek pouches. It lives in low valley bottoms with soft soils, among weeds and shrubs, where it burrows in the sand to bury seed caches. The species is more tolerant of harsh habitat conditions than other pocket mice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merriam's pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

Merriam's pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in northeast Mexico and New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States. Its habitat is shortgrass prairie, desert areas with scrub and arid shrubland. The species is named to honor Clinton Hart Merriam, a biologist who first described several other members of the genus Perognathus, and first elucidated the principle of a "life zone" as a means of characterizing ecological areas with similar plant and animal communities.

The Paraguaná spiny pocket mouse is a South American species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is known from two localities at elevations above 200 m, Cerro Santa Ana and the Fila de Monte Cano, within the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela. While this region consists mostly of arid shrublands, this pocket mouse is found in elevated areas that provide cloud forest or mesic habitat with evergreen and semideciduous vegetation, such as terrestrial bromeliads. It is more likely to be found near streams. The species is threatened by habitat degradation due to goat grazing and development.

The Ecuadoran spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to central western Ecuador, where it is found at elevations from sea level to 2000 m on the coastal plain and western slopes of the Andes. The species is nocturnal and lives in dry tropical evergreen forests of the southernmost extension of the Choco; it creates well-defined runways, and is often found near streams. It is threatened by deforestation and fragmentation of its remaining habitat.

The lined pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. This pocket mouse is endemic to a small area of central Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heteromyinae</span> Subfamily of rodents

Heteromyinae is a subfamily of rodents in the family Heteromyidae, commonly known as spiny pocket mice. It contains a single extant genus, Heteromys, as well as the extinct genera Diprionomys and Metaliomys. Heteromys was recently enlarged by inclusion of the members of formerly recognized heteromyine genus Liomys, which was found to be paraphyletic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloud-dwelling spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The cloud-dwelling spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent (Rodentia) that is endemic to the high elevations of Cordillera de Tilarán and Cordillera de Guanacaste within Costa Rica. It is contained within the Heteromys desmarestianus species complex.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Castro-Arellano, I.; Timm, R.; Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. (2016). "Heteromys irroratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T12074A22225187. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T12074A22225187.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Patton, J.L. (2005). "Family Heteromyidae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 851–852. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. ↑ Hafner, J. C.; Light, J. E.; Hafner, D. J.; Hafner, M. S.; Reddington, E.; Rogers, D. S.; Riddle, B. R. (2007-10-18). "Basal Clades and Molecular Systematics of Heteromyid Rodents". Journal of Mammalogy. 88 (5): 1129–1145. doi: 10.1644/06-MAMM-A-413R1.1 .
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dowler, Robert C.; Genoways, Hugh H. (1978). "Liomys irroratus". Mammalian Species (82): 1–6. doi: 10.2307/3503813 . JSTOR   3503813.
  5. ↑ Slansky F (2006). "Cuterebra bot flies (Diptera: Oestridae) and their indigenous hosts and potential hosts in Florida". Florida Entomologist. 89 (2): 152–160. doi: 10.1653/0015-4040(2006)89[152:CBFDOA]2.0.CO;2 .
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