276.

Mexican Deermouse

Peromyscus mexicanus

French: Péromyscus du Mexique / German: Mexiko-Hirschmaus / Spanish: Raton ciervo de México

Taxonomy. Hesperomys mexicanus Saussure, 1860, “Habite le Mexique.” Restricted by W. W. Dalquest in 1950 to “ten kilometers east of Mirador,” Veracruz, Mexico.

Peromyscus mexicanus 1s in the mexicanus species group. One former synonym ( P. nicaraguae) and one former subspecies (Pm. salvadorensis) recently were elevated to species status, and junior synonyms /hesperus, nudipes, and orientalis were placed under P. nudipes . Seven subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.m.mexicanusSaussure,1860—fromSESanLuisPotosiSthroughVeracruztoEOaxaca,Mexico.

P.m.angelensisOsgood,1904—coastalregionsofSEGuerreroandSOaxaca,Mexico.

P.m.azulensisGoodwin,1956—ECOaxaca,Mexico.

P.m.putlaensisGoodwin,1964—restrictedtoWCOaxaca,Mexico.

P.m.saxatilisMerriam,1898—SChiapas,Mexico,andWGuatemala.

P.m.teapensisOsgood,1904—SVeracruzandTabasco,Mexico.

P. m. totontepecus Merriam, 1898 — NE Oaxaca and SW Veracruz, Mexico.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 108-137 mm, tail 105-140 mm, ear 19-24 mm, hindfoot 25-28 mm; weight 29-50 g. The Mexican Deermouse is medium-sized, with clay to blackish dorsum and darker mid-dorsal stripe. Venteris white to creamy. Sides can be ocherous fulvous to light ocherous in humid areas and opaque orange-brown to ocherous buffy in drier areas. Dark or dusky eye-ring is normally present. Ears are large and generally naked. Hindfeet are dark from ankles to almost one-third the length of foot; phlanges are white. Tail is somewhat bicolored (darker above) and typically spotted or blotched below. Supraorbital ridges are moderately to well developed.

Habitat. Tropical lowlands, typically associated with dense vegetation in wet habitats such as jungles, coniferous forests, cloud forests, semideciduous forests, secondary forests, and riparian areas at elevations of 600-2000 m. The Mexican Deermouse generally prefers dense vegetation, fallen logs, and other heavily covered habitats and also can be found in croplands and pastures, especially along forest edges.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Mexican Deermouse includes arthropods (e.g. spiders, ants, and beetles), seeds,fruits, coffee beans, and green plant material.

Breeding. Mexican Deermice reproduce year-round, but there is usually a peak at the beginning of rainy season. Litters have 1-4 young (average 2-4).

Activity patterns. The Mexican Deermouse is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Home range of the Mexican Deemouse is ¢.0-5 ha.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Bradley et al. (2016), Dalquest (1950), Garcia-Franco & Rico-Gray (1997), Hall (1981), Horvath (2014b), Horvath et al. (2001), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pérez-Consuegra & Vazquez-Dominguez (2015), Reid (1997), Trujano-Alvarez & Alvarez-Castaneda (2010).