Chaetodipus formosus
Long-tailed Pocket Mouse
(Chaetodipus formosus) | |
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Range | |
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Taxonomic classification | |
Order: | Rodentia |
Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
Family: | Heteromyidae |
Subfamily: | Perognathinae |
Genus: | Chaetodipus |
Binomial details | |
Chaetodipus formosus (Merriam, 1889) |
Description
From Ceballos (ed., 2014): "Chaetodipus formosus is medium in size. Its pelage is smooth, sepia in color with gray hair on the back, and the underside and legs are white. The tail is long; it is buffy on the ventral surface, it has a crest of hair, and it ends with a darker tuft than the rest of the pelage. Ears are blackish with a tuft of black and white hairs on the bases. The subauricular spot is small."
From Hoffmeister (1986): "A medium-sized, long and bushy-tailed species..."
From Jameson & Peeters (2004): "A rather large, dark pocket mouse with a bicolored tail, conspicuously tufted at the tip."

External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona (Coconino County, Houserock Valley, Marble Canyon) | Hoffmeister (1986) | body length: 72–91 (n=24) | 95–112 (n=24) | 23–25 (n=24) | ||
Arizona (Mohave County, lower end of Toroweap Valley) | Hoffmeister (1986) | body length: 75–89 (n=19) | 94–111 (n=19) | 23–26 (n=19) | ||
Arizona (Mohave County, vicinity of Pakoon Springs) | Hoffmeister (1986) | body length: 78–92 (n=15) | 98–112 (n=15) | 22–26 (n=15) | ||
California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 172–211 | 86–118 | 22–26 | 19–25 | |
not reported | Ceballos (editor, 2014) | 104 | 118 | 25 | 5–8 | 18 |
Utah & Arizona (vicinity of St. George) | Hoffmeister (1986) | body length: 75–93 (n=29) | 96–125 (n=29) | 21–26 (n=29) |
Skull
Similar species
Species | Size | Pelage appearance | Postauricular patch | Subaruicular spot | Antitragus | Tail bicolored | Tail crest | Tail tuft | Rump spines | Lateral lines | Lateral line color |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chaetodipus californicus | medium to large | coarse | absent | absent | lobed | distinctly | present | present | present (and on flanks) | present | orangish-yellow |
Chaetodipus formosus | medium | smooth | absent | present | lobed | distinctly or indistinctly | present | present | absent | absent | - |
Chaetodipus penicillatus | medium | smooth to coarse | present; faint | absent | lobed | distinctly | present | present | absent | faint or absent | buff |
Chaetodipus rudinoris | large | smooth | absent | when present, it is small | lobed | indistinctly | present | present | absent | present | ochraceous |
Chaetodipus spinatus | medium to medium-large | coarse | absent | preset | lobed | distinctly | present | present | present | faint or absent | buff |
Perognathus alticola | medium | smooth | present; faint | present; small | lobed | distinctly | present | absent | absent | faint | |
Perognathus longimembris | small | smooth | present; faint | when present, it is faint | absent | distinctly or indistinctly | absent | present | absent | absent or faint | |
Perognathus mollipilosus | medium | smooth | present | present | lobed | distinctly | present; slightly crested | absent | absent | present; faint | olive colored or ochraceous |
References
Ceballos G, editor. 2014. Mammals of Mexico. Baltimore (MD, USA): Johns Hopkins University Press.
Hoffmeister DF. 1986. Mammals of Arizona. Tucson (AZ, USA): University of Arizona Press.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Merriam CH. 1889. Revision of the North American pocket mice. North American Fauna 1:1-29.