Cricetidae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
Author
Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
text
2017
2017-11-30
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II
204
535
book chapter
80832
10.5281/zenodo.6707142
ab66b2b7-9544-4411-bf61-5bc3651d7bca
978-84-16728-04-6
6707142
265.
Broad-faced Deermouse
Peromyscus megalops
French:
Péromyscus a téte large
/
German:
Breitgesicht-Hirschmaus
/
Spanish:
Ratén ciervo de cara ancha
Other common names:
Brown Deermouse
Taxonomy.
Peromyscus megalops Merriam, 1898
,
La Cieneguilla Ranch, near Santa Maria Ozolotepec,
10,000 feet
(=
3048 m
),
Oaxaca
,
Mexico
.
Peromyscus megalops
is in the
megalops
species group. Some authors included subspecies azulensis and
melanurus
under
P. megalops
, but others considered subspecies azulensis under
P. mexicanus
and
melanurus
as a separate species. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
P.m.megalopsMerriam,1898—SCOaxaca,Mexico.
P. m. auritus Merriam, 1898
— narrow band stretching from S México, C & E Guerrero, and
Oaxaca
, Mexico.
Descriptive notes.
Head-body 112-141 mm, tail 116-151 mm, hindfoot 28-31 mm; weight 30-50 g. The Broad-faced Deermouse is large, with long and thick dorsal pelage of reddish brown to brown ocherous and dark band between ears and along back. Venter is cream to pale yellow, with dark underfur. Pectoral and axillary regions are reddish brown, and sides are lighter than back. Legs are white, contrasting dark regions along shanks and ankles. Hindfeet are very large for the genus. Tail is longer than head-body length and bicolored (dark above and mottled below).
Habitat.
Temperate cloud forests, pine-oak oak forests, and highlands, typically at elevations of 1500-3000 m. Broad-faced Deermice are found in humid microhabitats with dense underbrush stubble, moss, and tree trunks; rocky outcrops coated with dense layer of moss; and riparian habitats and along montane rivers and streams.
Food and Feeding.
No information.
Breeding.
Pregnant and lactating Broad-faced Deermice have been caught in June-August.
Activity patterns.
The Broad-faced Deermouse is presumably nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
No information.
Status and Conservation.
Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.
Bibliography.
Hall (1981), Hernandez-Chavez (1990), Huckaby (1980), Musser (1964), Musser & Carleton (2005), Zarza & Ceballos (2014b).