238.

Salt-marsh Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys raviventris

French: Souris-moissonneuse a ventre gris / German: Salzsumpf-Ernttemaus / Spanish: Raton espiguero de marisma

Taxonomy. Reithrodontomys raviventris Dixon, 1908, “Redwood City, San Mateo County, Calif[ornia].,” USA.

Reithrodontomys raviventris is in subgenus Reithrodontomys . Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

R.r.raviventrisDixon,1908—SportionofSanFranciscoBay,California(USA).

R. r. halicoetes Dixon, 1909 — N portion of San Francisco Bay, California (USA).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 62-80 mm, tail 56-95 mm, hindfoot 20-22 mm; weight 8-15 g. Dorsum of the Saltmarsh Harvest Mouse has a mix of long,thick, blackish and cinnamon hairs. Tawny lateralstrip is present. Venter is white to cinnamon. Ears are blackish, with tuft of ocherous hair at bases. Tail is about as long as head-body and indistinctly bicolored.

Habitat. Salt and brackish marshes dominated by grasses and species of Salicornia (Amaranthaceae) .

Food and Feeding. The Salt-marsh Harvest Mouse reportedly eats glasswort ( Salicornia) and tule ( Schoenoplectus, Cyperaceae).

Breeding. Reproductive activity is thought to occur in March-November. Average litter sizes are 3-7-3-9 young.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Dixon (1908, 1909), Fisler (1965), Hooper (1952a), Shellhammer et al. (1982).