White-ankled mouse

Last updated

White-ankled mouse
Peromyscus pectoralis pectoralis (iNaturalist 377895).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Neotominae
Genus: Peromyscus
Species:
P. pectoralis
Binomial name
Peromyscus pectoralis
Osgood, 1904

The white-ankled mouse (Peromyscus pectoralis) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus , a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". It is found in Mexico, and in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States. [1]

Contents

The white-ankled mouse is commonly found in coexistence with the brush mouse and Texas mouse (P. boylii and P. attaweri, respectively). Often, the sympatric overlap in characteristics between these species makes it difficult to identify a specific species. The most distinguishing feature of the white-ankled mouse, and the one most used to identify the species, is the baculum of males. [2] The tip of the white-ankled mouse's baculum is long and cartilaginous, whereas the tips of brush and Texas mice are short and rounded. [3] [2]

Description

White-ankled mice have three distinct pelages in their life cycles: juvenile, subadult, and adult. Two molt phases (post-juvenile and post-subadult) are necessary for the distinct pelages in each phase of their lives. [4]

In Texas, the white-ankled mouse differs from the Texas mouse by having shorter hind feet, white ankles, paler color, and a more defined bicolor tail. The white-ankled mouse differs from the Brush mouse by having smaller molar teeth, white ankles, and shorter hair on the end of the tail. [3] [2]

Distribution and habitat

Because of the physical similarities between the white-ankled mouse and other mice species, the white-ankled mouse is often misidentified. In New Mexico, for example, many of the distribution ranges of the white-ankled mouse were based on misidentified museum specimens. Upon both further review of these specimens and an experiment involving live traps, the actual distribution of the white-ankled mouse in New Mexico was expanded by 225 km (140 mi) north-northwest. [5]

When studying the microhabitats of these coexisting mice, it was discovered that the Texas mouse utilizes trees and the white-ankled mouse does not. [6] In an experiment that removed the Texas mice from these cohabitated microhabitats, the white-ankled mice still did not use the trees. These findings suggest the microhabitats on the white-ankled mouse are inherently selected rather than a result of interspecific competition. [7]

The white-ankled mouse is partial to rocky and bushy terrains within a variety of habitats: deserts, grasslands and woodlands. [8]

Diet

White-ankled mice have been known to feed on a variety of seeds, including hackberries, acorns, juniper berries, and cactus fruit. [9] [10]

References

  1. 1 2 Lacher, T.; Timm, R.; Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Peromyscus pectoralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T16684A115137332. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16684A22363727.en . Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Hooper, E.T. (1958). "The male phallus in mice of the genus Peromyscus" (PDF). Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan. 105: 1–24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-22.
  3. 1 2 Clark, W. K. (1952). Isolating mechanisms, competition, and geographic variation of the Peromyscus boylei group in Oklahoma and Texas (Ph.D. thesis). Univ. Texas.
  4. ↑ Hoffmeister, D. F. (1951). "A taxonomic and evolutionary study of the pinon mouse Peromyscus truei". Illinois Biol. Monogr. 21: 1–104.
  5. ↑ Geluso, Keith (2004). "Distribution of the white-ankled mouse (Peromyscus pectoralis) in New Mexico" (PDF). The Southwestern Naturalist. 49 (2): 283–288. doi:10.1894/0038-4909(2004)049<0283:DOTWMP>2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-15.
  6. ↑ Etheredge, D.R.; M.D. Engstrom; and R. C. Stone (1989). "Habitat discrimination between sympatric populations of Peromyscus attwateri and Peromyscus pectoralis in west-central Texas". Journal of Mammalogy. 70 (2): 300–307. doi:10.2307/1381511. JSTOR   1381511.
  7. ↑ Mullican, Tim R. and John T. Baccus (1990). "Horizontal and vertical movements of the white-ankled mouse (Peromyscus pectoralis) in central Texas". Journal of Mammalogy. 71 (3): 378–381. doi:10.2307/1381949. JSTOR   1381949.
  8. ↑ Kilpatrick, C. W. (1971). "Distribution of the brush mouse Permomyscus boylii, and the encinal mouse, Permoyscus pectoralis, in north-central Texas". Southwestern Nat. 16 (2): 209–220. Bibcode:1971SWNat..16..211K. doi:10.2307/3670503. JSTOR   3670503.
  9. ↑ Davis, W.B. (1966). "The mammals of Texas". Bull. Texas Game and Fish Comm. 41: 5–267.
  10. ↑ Alavrez, T. (1963). "Mammals of Tamaulipas, Mexico". Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist. 14: 363–473.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.