Peromyscus schmidlyi

Schmidly's deer mouse (Peromyscus schmidlyi), is a recently described species of deer mouse from the mountains of western Mexico.[2] It is part of the highly complex and well-studied Peromyscus boylii species complex. The uniqueness of Peromyscus from this area had long been suspected, but was only formalized in 2004 with the publication of its species description. The species was named in honor of David J. Schmidly, a mammalogist and former president of the University of New Mexico.

Peromyscus schmidlyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Neotominae
Genus: Peromyscus
Species:
P. schmidlyi
Binomial name
Peromyscus schmidlyi
Bradley et al., 2004

The name "Schmidly's deer mouse" is ambiguous, as it is shared by another species, Habromys schmidlyi.

Description

P. schmidlyi, or Schmidly's deermouse,[3] is a typical deer mouse, and can only be reliably distinguished from other members of its species group by DNA analysis.[3]

It is 18 to 21 cm (7.1 to 8.3 in) in length, with a tail 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 3.9 in) long.[4] The fur is reddish umber over most of the body, becoming almost white on the under parts. The feet have a grey stripe extending past the ankle, and white toes. The tail is dark and bears only coarse, sparse hair, except for a tuft at the tip.[5] It is similar in appearance to the nimble-footed mouse, but is usually larger and darker in color.[3]

Like all deermice, P. schmidlyli has 16 total teeth (i 1/1, c 0/0, p 0/0, m 3/3), and the males have scrotal testes.[6]

Detailed parameters

The dilated body description is shown below.

Basic data of P. schmidlyi from Sonora[6]

(mm)

Total length

179.5±14.76

Length of tail

86.0±8.57

Length of hind foot

19.4±1.06

Length of ear

19.5±0.93

Length of skull

26.2±1.22

Zygomatic branch

12.9±0.43

Breadth of brain case

12.1±0.30

Depth of cranium

9.4±0.27

Interorbital breadth

4.2±0.15

Breadth of rostrum

4.2±0.20

Length of rostrum

10.4±0.62

Length of palate

4.0±0.33

Length of molar toothrow

4.2±0.19

Length of incisive foramen

4.9±0.38

Breadth of zygomatic plate

1.9±0.32

Genetics

Its monophyly has been confirmed using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The species also differs from other Peromyscus in having the karyotype (FN = 54-56). Its closest relative appears to be Peromyscus levipes.[5]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in the states of Sinaloa, Sonora and Durango in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico.[6] Like many other members of the P. boylii species group, it is found only at higher elevations, above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). It is known to inhabit deep gullies and rocky hillsides in pine-oak forests.[4]

The dominant vegetation of these areas consists of pointleaf manzanita, kittle lemonhead, one-seeded jumper, Apache, Ponderosa, and Yecora pine, Arizona white oak, sipuri, and silverleaf oak. The annual vegetation is six-week threeawn, spidergrass, common oats, and needle grams.[6]

Disease

Like all deermice, P. schmidlyi can be a host for viruses and bacteria, and a vector for disease.[3]

References
  1. Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T.; Castro-Arellano, I.; Lacher, T.; Vázquez, E. & Arroyo-Cabrales, J. (2008). "Peromyscus schmidlyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2011.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. López-González, Celia; García-Mendoza, Diego F.; Correa-Ramírez, Miguel M. (2013-08-16). "Morphologic characterization of Peromyscus schmidlyi (Rodentia: Cricetidae), an endemic of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico". Journal of Mammalogy. 94 (4): 923–937. doi:10.1644/13-MAMM-A-004.1. ISSN 0022-2372. Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  3. Ordpnez-Garaza and Bradley, Nicte and Robert (25 January 2011). "Peromyscus schmidlyi" (PDF). American Society if Mammalogists.
  4. Ordóñez-Garza, N. & Bradley, R.D. (2011). "Peromyscus schmidlyi (Rodentia: Cricetidae)". Mammalian Species. 43 (1): 31–36. doi:10.1644/872.1. Archived from the original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  5. Bradley, R.D.; et al. (2004). "A new species of Peromyscus from western Mexico". Journal of Mammalogy. 85 (6): 1184–1193. doi:10.1644/BEL-113.1. Archived from the original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  6. Cabrera, H.; et al. (2007). "Distribution and natural history of the Schmidly's deermouse". Southwestern Naturalist. Southwestern Association of Naturalists. 52 (4): 620–623. doi:10.1894/0038-4909(2007)52[620:DANHOS]2.0.CO;2.
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