299.

Transvolcanic Deermouse

Peromyscus hylocetes

French: Péromyscus des volcans / German: Transvulkan-Hirschmaus / Spanish: Raton ciervo de Transvolcéanica

Taxonomy. Peromyscus hylocetes Merriam, 1898, “Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico (alt. about 8000 ft. [= 2438 m]).”

Peromyscus hylocetes is in the aztecus species group. It was described as a species and later treated as a subspecies of P. aztecus; however, recent genetic data suggests it should be treated as a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Cordillera Transvolcanica from N Colima and SW Jalisco E to Distrito Federal and Morelos, Mexico.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 101-121 mm, tail 102-117 mm, ear 16—~19 mm, hindfoot 25-27 mm; weight 22-36 g. The Transvolcanic Deermouse is medium-sized, with ocherous pale to reddish brown dorsum, mixed with black hair. Venter is white to cream. Feet are white, with dark line stretching from tarsals to metatarsals. Tail is bicolored and equal to head-body length. It has distinct black eye-rings. Interorbital region is angular as opposed to hourglass-shaped as in the boylii species group.

Habitat. Pine-oak and cloud forests and occasionally lava fields and other areas with sparse vegetation at elevations of 2300-2700 m.

Food and Feeding. The Transvolcanic Deermouse eats grasses, fruits, and seeds and supplement its diet with insects. In western Mexico, diets were dominated by fruits (51:4%), leaves (21%), and seeds (21%).

Breeding. Reproduction of Transvolcanic Deermice occurs in the rainy season (August—October) and dry season (May).

Activity patterns. The Transvolcanic Deermouse is terrestrial and mainly nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Average density was 9 ind/ha with lowest density of 3 ind/ha in the dry season (June) and highest densities of 12 ind/ ha at the end of the rainy season (October) and 15 ind/ha at beginning of dry-cold season (January-February).

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

Bibliography. Carleton (1979), Ceballos & Galindo (1984), Cruzado & Ceballos (2014), Hall (1981), Hooper (1968a), Merriam (1898), Musser & Carleton (2005), Osgood (1909), Sullivan & Kilpatrick (1991), Sullivan, Arellano & Rogers (2000), Sullivan, Markert & Kilpatrick (1997), Vazquez et al. (2000, 2001).