Painted spiny pocket mouse

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Painted spiny pocket mouse
Heteromys pictus 2016299.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Heteromyidae
Genus: Heteromys
Species:
H. pictus
Binomial name
Heteromys pictus
Thomas, 1893
Heteromys pictus distribution map.png

The painted spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys pictus) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. [2] 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 . [3]

Contents

Description

The painted spiny pocket mouse is a medium-sized species and grows to a head and body length of about 12 cm (4.7 in) with a tail as long again, males being slightly larger than females. The pelage is composed of a mixture of stiff spines with soft, slender hairs, but because the hairs do not curl upward, the spines are the prominent feature of the coat. The upper parts of the head and body are reddish-brown and the underparts are white. The lateral line that separates the dorsal and ventral colors is some shade of dark or pale ochre. Immature pocket mice are grey and their coat consists mainly of soft hairs. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The painted spiny pocket mouse is found in Mexico and Guatemala at altitudes of up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Its range includes western Mexico, from the state of Sonora southwards to the state of Chiapas, the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, and the extreme northwestern corner of Guatemala. Its typical habitat is dry deciduous woodland or bushy scrubland and it occurs near streams in otherwise arid regions, often in places with cactus and acacia. [1] In regions where their ranges overlap, it occurs in moister, lower habitats than the Mexican spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys irroratus). [5]

Behavior

The painted spiny pocket mouse is nocturnal and solitary, with individuals just coming together for breeding. It lives in a burrow and engages in such activities as sand bathing, collecting seeds in its cheek pouches, caching food, scratching and caring for its coat. The diet mainly consists of seeds (large ones being preferred), green vegetation and small invertebrates such as spiders, moths, crickets and beetles. [4]

Breeding takes place throughout most of the year, though few pregnant females were recorded between December and February and male mice had smaller testicles during that period. Litter sizes range from two to six and the average gestation period is 25 days. The litter may stay together for one to two months but separates when there is a high level of aggression among the littermates. [4]

Status

The painted spiny pocket mouse has a wide range and is common in parts of that range. The IUCN lists it as being of "least concern" as, although its population trend is downward due to forest clearance, it is not declining at a rate so fast as to warrant a more threatened category. [1]

Related Research Articles

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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

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<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">Desmarest's spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

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

Gaumer's spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It ranges over northern Belize and Guatemala and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where it lives in lowland semideciduous forest and thorn scrub. The species is nocturnal and terrestrial; it is solitary and strongly territorial. It is named after physician and biologist George F. Gaumer, who lived in the Yucatán from 1885 to 1929.

Goldman's spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It has been reported to be a subspecies of Heteromys desmarestianus. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<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">Mexican spiny pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Mexican spiny pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. 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.

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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.

<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">Great Basin pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Great Basin pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in British Columbia in Canada and the western United States.

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

The Chihuahuan pocket mouse is a species of heteromyid rodent found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the desert pocket mouse, but was determined to be a distinct species in 1996, following analysis of its mitochondrial DNA.

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 Reid, F.; Vázquez, E. (2016). "Heteromys pictus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T12075A22225256. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T12075A22225256.en . Retrieved 11 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. p. 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 McGhee, M. Elizabeth; Genoways, Hugh H. (1978). "Liomys pictus". Mammalian Species (83): 1–5. doi: 10.2307/3504048 . JSTOR   3504048. S2CID   51797708.
  5. ↑ Dowler, Robert C.; Genoways, Hugh H. (1978). "Liomys irroratus". Mammalian Species (82): 1–6. doi: 10.2307/3503813 . JSTOR   3503813. S2CID   36834994.
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