307.

Texas Deermouse

Peromyscus attwateri

French: Péromyscus du Texas / German: Texas-Hirschmaus / Spanish: Raton ciervo de Texas

Other common names: Texas Mouse

Taxonomy. Peromyscus attwateri J. A. Allen, 1895, Turtle Creek, Kerr County, Texas, USA .

Peromyscus attwater: is in the true: species group. Monotypic.

Distribution. From SE Kansas and SW Missouri SW to SC Texas, USA.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 91-106 mm, tail 96-112 mm, ear 17-17 mm, hindfoot 23-27 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Texas Mouse is medium-sized, with brown dorsum, mixed with blackish hairs along middorsal stripe. Sides are pinkish cinnamon. Venter is white, with plumbeous hairs at bases. Tail is as long as head-body length, bicolored, and tufted at tip. Hindfeet are white and large relative to body size. Ankles are dark or dusky.

Habitat. Rugged rocky hillsides typically in juniper or cedar breaks.

Food and Feeding. The Texas Mouse eats seeds, berries, plant material, bulbs, and acorns.

Breeding. Reproduction of the Texas Deermouse is thought to occur mostly in spring and autumn, but winter also seems to have peak activitiy. Litters have 3-6 young.

Activity patterns. The Texas Deermouse is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Average home range is 0-2 ha. Densities are 1-2-5-3 ind/ha.

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

Bibliography. Black (1937), Blair (1938), Brown (1964), Cockrum (1952), Espinosa & Chavez (2014), Garner (1967), Hall (1981), Long (1961), Musser & Carleton (2005), Schmidly (1974a).