293.

Carleton’s Deermouse

Peromyscus carletoni

French: Péromyscus de Carleton / German: Carleton-Hirschmaus / Spanish: Raton ciervo de Carleton

Taxonomy. Peromyscus carletoni: Bradley et al., 2014, 70 km N Santa Maria del Oro (UTM 130Q-559922-2395306), Nayarit, Mexico.

Peromyscus carletoni is in the boylii species group. Monotypic.

Distribution. Sierra Madre Occidental of EC Nayarit, and possibly W Zacatecas and N Jalisco, Mexico.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 88-101 mm, tail 87-114 mm, ear 18-22 mm, hindfoot 19-23 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Carleton’s Deermouse is medium-sized, with dark brown dorsum, blackish at bases of hairs; sides are snuff brown fading to paler color; and venter is white at tips and blackish at bases. Tail is slightly longer than head-body length, bicolored (dark above and white below), scantily haired, and tufted at tip. Feet are white, with brown strip extended past ankles. Carleton’s Deermouse is morphologically similar to the Brush Deermouse (PF. boyliz), the Nimble-footed Deermouse ( P. levipes), the Durango Deermouse (P. schmidlyr), and the Sinaloan Deermouse ( P. simulus), but it can be distinguished by genetic data.

Habitat. Mesic pine-oak forest habitat at elevations greater than 2000 m. Carleton’s Deermouseis typically associated with rock outcroppings, fallen logs, and moistsoils.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Carleton’s Deermouse is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Given its endemic distribution in a narrow region of Nayarit, Mexico, Carleton’s Deermouse should be carefully monitored.

Bibliography. Bradley, Ordénez-Garza et al. (2014).