White-eared pocket mouse

White-eared pocket mouse

Imperiled  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Heteromyidae
Genus: Perognathus
Species:
P. alticola[1]
Binomial name
Perognathus alticola[1]
Rhoads, 1894[3]
Synonyms[1]
  • Perognathus alticolus Rhoads, 1894 [orth. error]

The white-eared pocket mouse[1][2] (Perognathus alticola) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to the San Bernardino Mountains and the Tehachapi Mountains of southern California in the United States.[1] There are two subspecies of P. alticola in California, P. a. alticola and P. a. inexpectatus, both of which are considered species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.[4]

Characteristics

White-eared pocket mice are native to the San Bernardino Mountains and Tehachapi Mountains in California. They are named after their feature of having white or yellowish hair on the external portion of their ear. Within the genus Perognathus, P. alticola is on the medium to large size. The back of the mouse is yellowish brown with blackish lines and the underbelly of it is white. The tail typically has two or three colors. The under portion is white and the top portion matches the back of the mouse with the tip of the tail being black or dusky in color. The body length, tail length, hind foot length and length of many other feature of the male is much larger than the female. This means they are sexually dimorphic based on size.[4]

Anatomy

Body Feature Length Measurements Average (mm) Range (mm)
Total Body Length 155 142-177
Tail 80 70-95
Hind Foot 21 19-32
Ear 6 5-6
Greatest Length of Cranium 24.1 22.5-26.1
Nasal 9.2 8.2-11.0
Maxillary 10.6 8.0-13.9
Mandible 12.8 11.9-14.2
Maxillary Toothrow 3.5 2.9-3.8

[4]

Sexually dimorphic measurements

Average Measurement (mm) Males Females
Total Length 163.6 149.5
Body Length 77.6 72.5
Tail Length 21.9 20.7
Ear Length 5.9 5.6
Greatest Depth of Cranium 8.2 8.0
Greatest With of Cranium 12.9 12.4

[4]

Distribution

White-eared pocket mice are only found in California. They can be found in Kern county, Los Angeles county, San Bernardino County and the San Bernardino Mountains. They inhabit arid shrubs and forests at elevations greater than 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[4]

Ecology

Perognathus alticola can be found in Ponderosa pine forest and open pine forest with bracken ferns Pteridium aquilinum, in wooded habitats that contain Joshua tree and pinyon-juniper woodland, and in grasslands with scattered Ponderosa pine. They can also be found in chaparral, coastal-sage, and areas with an abundance of Salsola .[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Naylor, L. & Roach, N. (2017). "Perognathus alticola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T16631A22224213. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T16631A22224213.en. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Perognathus alticola". NatureServe Explorer An online encyclopedia of life. 7.1. NatureServe. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Perognathus alticolus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Best, Troy L. (2 June 1994). "Perognathus alticolus". Mammalian Species (463): 1–4. doi:10.2307/3504273. JSTOR 3504273.