Chihuahuan pocket mouse

Last updated

Contents

Chihuahuan pocket mouse
Chaetodipus eremicus 380821.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Heteromyidae
Genus: Chaetodipus
Species:
C. eremicus
Binomial name
Chaetodipus eremicus
(Mearns, 1898)
Synonyms

C. pencillatus eremicus

The Chihuahuan pocket mouse (Chaetodipus eremicus) is a species of heteromyid rodent [1] [2] found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the desert pocket mouse (C. pencillatus), but was determined to be a distinct species in 1996, following analysis of its mitochondrial DNA. [3]

Description

Chihuahuan pocket mice are moderately sized rodents, with a total adult length of 16 to 18 centimetres (6.3 to 7.1 in), including the tail, and weighing 15 to 23 grams (0.5 to 0.8 oz). The fur is buff sprinkled with black over the back and sides, and white on the tail and underparts. The hairs on the rump are long and slender, but there are no spines, such as are present on the otherwise very similar rock pocket mouse. The tail is long, measuring 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in), and ends in a large tuft of white fur. [4]

The mice are herbivorous, mainly feeding on the seeds of plants such as broomweed, mesquite, and creosotebush, although they will also eat grasses when seeds are in short supply. They are nocturnal, spending the day in burrows comprising a central chamber from which numerous tunnels fan out to separate openings on the surface. The multiple openings to the burrow are closed during the day. They are most active during the spring, and may enter torpor for a few days at a time during the winter months. Breeding occurs from February to August, with most young being born around May. Litters typically consist of three or four young. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The Chihuahuan desert mouse inhabits the Chihuahuan Desert from western Texas and southern New Mexico in the United States, through northern and central Mexico as far as San Luis Potosí. It inhabits desert scrubland, preferring areas with soft or sandy soil, although it may occasionally be found in grassland or by river banks. The dominant vegetation in its habitat normally consists of plants such as mesquite, creosotebush, catclaw, and prickly pears. [4] Two subspecies are recognised: [2]

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">Rock pocket mouse</span> Species of rodent

The rock pocket mouse is one of 19 species of pocket mice in the genus Chaetodipus. It is sometimes grouped in the genus Perognathus.

<i>Chaetodipus</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, and pocket mice family of rodents

Chaetodipus is a genus of pocket mouse containing 17 species endemic to the United States and Mexico. Like other members of their family such as pocket mice in the genus Perognathus, they are more closely related to pocket gophers than to true mice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ord's kangaroo rat</span> Species of rodent

Ord's kangaroo rat is a kangaroo rat native to western North America, specifically the Great Plains and the Great Basin, with its range extending from extreme southern Canada to central Mexico.

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

The desert pocket mouse is a North American species of heteromyid rodent found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. True to its common name, the medium-sized desert pocket mouse prefers sandy, sparsely vegetated desert environments.

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

The hispid pocket mouse is a large pocket mouse native to the Great Plains region of North America. It is a member of the genus Chaetodipus.

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

The cactus mouse or cactus deermouse 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". They are native to desert areas of western North America.

Hooper's mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is the only member of the Peromyscus hooperi species group, and is found only in Mexico. The species is named for Emmett Hooper, a researcher into the taxonomy of the genus Peromyscus.

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

Bailey's pocket mouse is a species of rodent of the subfamily Perognathinae, family Heteromyidae. It is found in Baja California, Sinaloa and Sonora in Mexico and in California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.

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

The California pocket mouse is a species of nocturnal and primarily solitary rodent in the family Heteromyidae.

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

The San Diego pocket mouse is a rodent species in the family Heteromyidae. It occupies the northern region of Baja California near San Diego extending into Mexico.

Goldman's pocket mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it is threatened by the increasing conversion of its dry, scrubby habitat into agricultural land. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "near threatened".

<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">Banner-tailed kangaroo rat</span> Species of rodent

The banner-tailed kangaroo rat is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in arid environments in the southwestern United States and Mexico where it lives in a burrow by day and forages for seeds and plant matter by night.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 Linzey, A.V.; Timm, R.; Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T.; Castro-Arellano, I. & Lacher, T. (2008). "Chaetodipus penicillatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
  2. 1 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. 844–858. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. Lee Jr., T.E.; et al. (1996). "Speciation in the desert pocket mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus Woodhouse)". Journal of Mammalogy. 77 (1): 58–68. doi: 10.2307/1382709 . JSTOR   1382709.
  4. 1 2 3 Mantooth, S.J.; Best, T.L. (2005). "Chaetodipus eremicus". Mammalian Species. 768: Number 768: pp. 1–3. doi:10.1644/1545-1410(2005)768[0001:CE]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   198969242.